Something About Country Boys
by SilverKitsune2017
Summary: "You have a thing for Country Boys?" Sasuke asked. "Well who can resist a nice pair of blue jeans attached to an even nicer posterior?" Itachi replied. At the time, he laughed. That was until they left to check out Mangekyo Wines, the vineyard/winery left to them by Madara, and met Naruto and Gaara. After that, well the Uchiha Brothers knew that their lives would never be the same.
1. Chapter 1

Something About Country Boys

 **Author's Note:** This is a YAOI story. In this case, that means there will be at least two male x male romantic pairings. It will also take place in modern setting. If any of that bothers you, you might want to turn back now.

 **Disclaimer:** I own nothing and make no profit off of any of my stories.

Chapter 1

Until about five minutes ago, Sasuke had thought that he had everything figured out. The young Uchiha had more or less mapped out his life plan. The young man had just graduated from an Ivy League University and he would join his brother and his father at their family business. Sharingan Corp.

"And you're saying this is all ours?" Itachi blinks.

So had Itachi as far as Sasuke knew. His older brother had likewise gone to an Ivy League School and was now a very well respected Economist, despite his young age.

Kakashi nods. "That's right. It seems that Madara Uchiha left you and your brother as the beneficiaries of his will." The silver haired man definitely didn't look like he belonged in a suit.

His hair was so casual and eccentric. He also wore a blue mask over the bottom of his face for some reason. Why, Sasuke didn't know. The man didn't seem to have any obvious deformities. Did he have fishlips or bucked teeth perhaps?

It was a silly thought, but Sasuke was very tempted to yank that mask off. His curiosity was definitely getting the better of him. He needed to focus, but that mask was just taunting him!

"I don't see why." Itachi frowns. "I don't believe either of us ever actually met the man." That was true.

Sasuke had seen a few pictures of Madara, but he'd never met their Great Uncle. He was something of the black sheep in their family. Though the sheep had a mane like a lion. (Seriously, he must have spent half of his days just caring for that enormous mass of hair)!

Sadly, that was really all that he had known about the other Uchiha. The Uchiha who had just left a vineyard and winery to them. One that was worth at least millions, if not tens of millions of dollars as far as he could see at first glance.

Kakashi smiles in what was likely designed to be a reassuring way. "Well he does leave a reason." The silver haired man sighs. It was obvious that he felt bad for their late Great Uncle.

"Can we read the reason?" Itachi reaches for the documents.

The masked lawyer nods. "Of course." And with that, he hands the papers to Itachi for him to read.

 _ **To Whom It May Concern,**_

 _ **I, Madara Uchiha, being of sound mind and body do leave my estate and any other assets that I have acquired at the time of my death to my Great Nephews Itachi and Sasuke Uchiha.**_

 _ **This amongst other things includes the vineyard itself, all knowledge of Mangekyo Wines, my home on the property, and several thoroughbred horses.**_

 _ **Should they choose to keep everything, they will have approximately fifty employees that help to keep the vineyard operational. Should they sell it, I've already drawn up their severance packages and the money will be wired to them. This money is not listed as an asset. So this will not reduce the inheritance amount, if you decide to keep it.**_

 _ **I do hope that you do. My brother and I, found ourselves at odds with most of our family. Neither of us were cut out to be lawyers or investment bankers. We preferred being outdoors and Mangekyo Wines did bring us great joy.**_

 _ **Sadly, he died when he was young. I kept it all these years because it reminded me of him. I've chosen to give it to Itachi and Sasuke because they are the last family I have left that I didn't burn bridges with. (That and Sasuke does bare a disturbing resemblance to Izuna and Itachi as an Economist should be able to make the most of this inheritance).**_

 _ **I regret that I never got the chance to know either of you, but do not shed a tear for me. I am presumably now with Izuna again and no longer have to worry about any of my past mistakes.**_

 _ **You've both been given a chance to chart a different path. Naturally, I will understand, if you choose to stay on the path that has likely been laid out for you since birth. I hold no ill will if you both decide to sell it, but you should know that both of you have inherited 50% of the estate. You own it collectively. Any decision you make, will have to be one you make together.**_

 _ **The bond of brotherhood was a powerful one for Izuna and I. I hope that is in the case for both of you and wish you both long and happy lives. Now, speaking of happy lives…I've rambled on too much. I'm got a trip to France planned.**_

 _ **P.S: French beaches and wines are magnificent. So are the women! I do highly recommend you go there sometime on a vacation. ;) Just my personal opinion, of course. I've also included instructions for my funeral.**_

 _ **Love, Your Great Uncle Madara!**_

Sasuke blinks. Well that was one man who had made peace with his own mortality, he guessed. Though he was moderately disturbed by a man Madara's age using a winky face in his Will.

Whatever. He supposed that didn't really matter. It was his Will to right as he liked. Madara Uchiha had apparently been one of a kind.

For once, Itachi looked just as confused as Sasuke did. "Well I suppose that the least we can do before making a decision is to have a look at the place." That was true.

"Are you seriously considering keeping it?" Sasuke tilts his head curiously.

Itachi shrugs. "I honestly don't know." He pauses. "The man obviously wanted it to stay in family hands and it is a brilliant business opportunity. What about you?"

Sasuke didn't really know what to say. He was mostly in shock. Though as childish as it might sound, like almost every other child…he supposed that he had always wanted a pony.

"I guess it couldn't hurt to check it out." Sasuke smiles. "Father isn't expecting me to start working for Sharingan Corp. until fall anyway and it's not as though you don't have the vacation days stored up to take the time off."

Itachi nods in agreement. "Then it's settled. We'll have a look and then see." He glances at Kakashi. "Though I am going to need copies of all those documents. We wouldn't want one of the employees to think that we're trying to pull a fast one on them."

Upon hearing this, Kakashi chuckles and hands Itachi some copies. Apparently, the man had expected this reaction. Though that wasn't surprising. He was dealing with a newly trained lawyer and an economist. Itachi and Sasuke Uchiha were not novices when it came to legal matters!

* * *

Meanwhile Gaara was brushing the fur of a black Arabian. The red head owned a horse ranch. So this wasn't an unusual activity for him to do.

"Do you think that his nephews are really going to take over the place?" Naruto looks at him as he feeds said horse some carrots.

Hmm. That was a good question. Gaara honestly didn't know. It was more likely than not, that the Uchiha Brothers were about to be blindsided in a major way.

Gaara smiles at Kage. It was Japanese for shadow and with his pure black fur, he lived up to his name. "Hard to say really, but it's his Great Nephews, not his nephews." Kage was his favorite of all his horses.

His best friend tilts his head at that. Gaara could practically see the gears turning inside his mind. Uh oh. This probably wasn't a good sign. Naruto was anything, but predictable.

"So that's like on the level of grandchildren age wise." Yes, Gaara supposed that was accurate. "So they're probably around our age."

The ranch owner pauses as he considers that. Yes, more or less. His best guess was that the brothers would be somewhere around twenty to thirty years in age.

He nods. Though to be honest, he wasn't really sure where Naruto was going with this. "Yes, that seems an accurate estimate." Gaara shrugs. "I imagine that they'd have to be at least eighteen or else they wouldn't be inheriting anything yet."

Minors couldn't really inherit things. Most likely, their parents would have gotten the vineyard…if they were under the age of eighteen. Something that Madara probably wouldn't have let happened because he'd had some sort of horrible row with Fugaku Uchiha years back.

Gaara had never asked for details. It was none of his business and frankly, he didn't want to make the man relive painful memories for no reason.

"Awesome!" He grins. "This could be fun!"

Gaara shakes his head. "We have no way of knowing what they plan to do with the vineyard." More likely than not, the red head assumed that they would sell it. "From what little I know about them, they're city boys. Neither of them probably know a damn thing about running a place like that. They're probably going to sell it."

Naruto deflates a bit at this, causing Gaara to shake his head. His best friend was extremely social and considering how big the various properties around here tended to be, they had few neighbors. He probably wanted to make friends with the City Slickers.

Which was sweet and everything, but the red head had a hard time imagining how that was going to work. Naruto was a force of nature. He was like a tornado and the Uchiha Brothers were likely to be very traditional Japanese American Businessmen. Serious and very proper. (After all, what happened when an unstoppable force met an immovable object)?

"That kinda sucks." Naruto sighs and pets Kage. "I know that Madara really wanted them to have the place." Gaara nods in agreement.

He did feel some pity for Madara. It was obvious in his later years, that his lack of familial bonds had weighed heavily on him. That was probably why he had struck up an unlikely friendship with the two of them. He was lonely.

Well as lonely as you could be when you were someone like Madara. That man was such a skirt chaser. He had never married and even during his twilight years, he had been a major flirt.

The ranch owner could only nod his head again. "Well I imagine that they'll probably come out to at least look at it." It's what any smart person would do and somehow, he doubted that Madara's relatives were simpletons. "The least we can do is greet them properly, when they arrive." After all, that was what their friend would have wanted.

* * *

A few hours later, Itachi was on the phone with Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha as he watches his foolish little brother pack. Most people would think that he was being lazy and trying to get out of packing, but in reality…Itachi had taken on the harder task.

"You're not seriously going to go out there to look at this place, are you?" His father's tone was anything, but approving.

Of course, they were going to look. Whether they sold it or not, looking would help them make a decision. And at 26, Itachi didn't feel the need to justify his decisions to his father anymore.

He was a grown man. Both he and Sasuke already had graduate degrees for goodness sakes. That was thanks to them both taking more classes than required and summer courses, but that was semi irrelevant. It was the principle of the thing.

He hears his mother sigh on the other end as Sasuke stuffs far more clothes into a single suitcase than should be physically possible. "Fugaku, it doesn't hurt to look." That was his mother. Always the voice of reason in the family.

"If they look there is a crazy chance they might keep it." His father sighs.

Sasuke gives the phone a dirty look and it wasn't a mystery why. Itachi knew exactly what was going on in his brother's mind.

The younger Uchiha resented the implication that they weren't capable of running the vineyard. It was a mater of pride really. At that moment, Itachi was almost ready to keep it. Just to prove Fugaku wrong, but he knew better.

He could almost see Mikoto shrugging on the other line. "If they decide to keep it, I'm sure that Madara had plenty of employees." Well that was a little better than his father's reaction.

At least Mikoto would respect their decision and had faith in their ability to manage the place. Well at least to a degree. The Japanese American woman seemed confident in their ability to have their employees keep the things running smoothly and that was an indirect vote of confidence as far as Itachi Uchiha was concerned.

"Most likely, but they'll try to take advantage of them." Yep. "You know how people are." Keeping it out of spite was looking more and more tempting.

Frankly, Itachi had never particularly wanted to be an Economist. Oh he was good at his job and there was a certain amount of pride that came with that, but it wasn't his passion. While he enjoyed predicting trends and such, it just seemed such a dry occupation.

There was very little excitement in it and the hours at Sharingan were horrible. That was why he had called things off with Kisame. Kisame was more of a free spirit and well, Itachi's job just didn't lend itself to that type of thing.

"Have some faith in the boys." Again, Itachi pictures Mikoto Uchiha shaking her head. "They're smart. They can handle it!"" Damn straight! (Pun intended).

"Sasuke, how is the packing coming along?" He glances at his brother.

Sasuke smiles. "Good enough that we can be on the first flight out in the morning." Itachi nods approvingly at this. "Excellent."

He smiles. They'd be on their way to Mangekyo Wines in no time. And there wasn't a damn thing that their father could do to stop them.

"Goodnight, mother. Goodnight, father." His smile grows more with every passing word. "We'll speak to you later. We've still got a bit of packing to do." And with that, Itachi hangs up.

Sasuke laughs. "You know that father is going to want to kill you now, right?" That was true, but Itachi honestly didn't give a fuck at the moment.

Itachi wasn't sure what his brother's opinion on the matter was, but he had made up his mind. Whether or not, he kept his half of the vineyard was completely up to him. He wasn't going to let someone else make his decision for him.

He could only hope that Sasuke felt the same way. His adorably foolish little brother had always been eager for their father's approval. That was why he was now a lawyer. Itachi had tried to talk him out of going to law school because it obviously wasn't Sasuke's passion, but in the end that had been futile endeavor.

"Oh believe me, I know." Itachi smiles. "But it would be wrong ignore our Great Uncle's final wishes." He smirks at the irony. "Do we not have a moral obligation to at least look at Mangekyo?" Their dead Great Uncle may have just given them a new lease on life!

Sasuke chuckles and finishes throwing his clothes into a suitcase. It was obvious that his brother knew exactly what he was thinking. Though he was too kind to say it.

He simply nods. "I guess there's no harm in looking." Exactly!

"Precisely." Itachi smiles and pokes Sasuke's forehead. "Besides, who knows? Maybe we'll like what we see and one can't deny that there is certainly something about country boys." He shakes his head at Sasuke. "I think that it's time we both started living more for ourselves and less for our father."

Sasuke raises an eyebrow. "You have a thing for country boys?" Itachi chuckles.

"Well somewhat, I suppose." Itachi shrugs. "Opposites attract and all that. Besides, who can resist a nice pair of blue jeans that are attached to an even nicer posterior?"

Upon hearing that, Sasuke bursts out laughing and Itachi couldn't help, but join him. He rarely spoke of such things and that was probably why his brother found it so amusing.

Sasuke shakes his head. Though mirth was still dancing in his eyes. "Well in that case, I guess you can lasso yourself up a cowboy to play with while we're there."

Itachi shakes his head. "Eh I can do without the hats, but it'll be a nice change of pace. It's a winery. I imagine people are far more relaxed there."

The younger Uchiha rolls his eyes. Oh boy. Itachi was almost afraid to hear what was going to come out of Sasuke's mouth next. Whenever he did an eye roll, something unconventional was about to be said.

"You mean they'll be highly intoxicated and you figure that'll be more entertaining than listening to accountants and investors all day." Well that was true, but almost anything would have been more entertaining than that.

Itachi didn't have anything against accountants and investors, but would it kill them to speak about something outside of work occasionally? He was someone who craved intellectual stimulation and talking about the same thing, day after day…was exhausting.

He pokes Sasuke's forehead again. "Foolish little brother, don't be so stereotypical. Just because they work at a winery, doesn't mean they are drinking it on the clock." Itachi chuckles.

* * *

The next day, Naruto wakes up early and heads to the border of his property, which bordered the Mangekyo Winery! He was dying of curiosity and he knew that Gaara was too.

"Coffee." Gaara looks at his friend expectantly. "Please tell me that you have coffee."

The blonde chuckles and hands his friend some coffee. The red head was definitely not a morning person, but Naruto was. He rose when the Sun did on most days, but he was getting off track here.

He smiles. "Don't worry, I wouldn't leave you hanging like that!" Naruto grins. "Look! They're here!"

Sure enough, a rather expensive looking red convertible was pulling up the long driveway that would eventually lead to Madara's house. There were two men inside it. So it had to be them. The Uchiha Brothers.

It took a moment for them to park and get out of the car, but once they did, Naruto couldn't help but whistle. Damn. Forget being businessmen. Those two should have been models.

The eldest, well at least Naruto assumed the longer haired one was the older brother, had either the darkest shade of gray hair imaginable or the lightest shade of black. It swayed lightly in the wind and it looked like it should be featured in some hair product commercial!

How he had gotten that lightly sun kissed tan in the big city was a mystery to Naruto, but it suited him. So did the rugged and classical facial features and he definitely filled out that suit nicely.

He was a bit too composed for Naruto's tastes though. "Damn." Naruto was fond of comparing people to drinks since he owned a brewery. If that was the older brother than his name was Itachi. Itachi was like a fine wine.

"Can't say that I disagree." Gaara joins Naruto in observing the newcomers.

Even Gaara couldn't help, but ogle the new guys. Right. Where was he? Oh yeah. Itachi reminded him of a wine. Very refined and sophisticated. He was a guy that was probably used to being in control and all about the rules.

Definitely not Naruto's type. Though it looked like a certain red head was more than willing to give it a go. Naruto had never seen anyone perk Gaara's interest that question before.

He nods energetically. "We should go make nice with our new neighbors." But back to the mission at hand. There was still the younger brother to examine.

If Itachi was wine, Sasuke was vodka. There was something very old world about him with those classical Japanese features and that ivory pale skin. There was also something kinda wild too! Probably because of the way his hair was sticking up the back. Naruto knew a lot of girls who would have killed to have those raven spiky locks. Actually, what was it with this family and their perfect hair?

Sasuke had some other charming ASSets too. Mostly the way he filled out those expensive business pants and his ruby red eyes. Those two really could have been models.

"You want wine and I'll take vodka?" Naruto grins mischievously at his friend.

Gaara had known Naruto since they were both in middle school. By now, he knew exactly what the blonde meant by that. He snorts quietly in response.

"You just saw them two minutes ago." Gaara shrugs and obviously was going to be throw cold water on Naruto's fun. "We don't even know, if they're into men and even if they are, they might already have someone."

Naruto frowns at that. That was true. Though he was pretty damn sure that they were. He had good instincts about this sort of thing and he was willing to literally bet the farm (well brewery) on the fact that these two were not interested in women!

He wasn't going to be discouraged that easily though! "Well yeah, we don't." If Gaara wasn't going to try, Naruto definitely was. "Though we don't not know it either!"

"I suppose that's true." Gaara stretches lazily as he gets off the back of the truck that they had been sitting on together. "Either way, we should probably at least go and introduce ourselves."

Ah ha! That was Gaaraese for _"I'm totally into him."_ Gaaraese was a hard language to master, Naruto thinks to himself.

One had to really read between the lines, but it was worth it. He doubted that there was a better friend in the world than Gaara. The ranch owner was extremely loyal and very funny in a dry way.

He was also totally checking out Itachi in that expensive business suit of his. Not that he could blame him. He was probably doing the same thing for Sasuke.

"Hello!" Naruto smiles cheerfully as they make their way over to the brothers. "I'm Naruto and this is Gaara." Best just to be blunt. No use beating around the bush. "We're your neighbors. Gaara owns the horse ranch and I own the brewery next door!"

Sasuke blinks. Right. City Slicker. He probably wasn't used to someone greeting him so perkily. Naruto wasn't really sure, if that was a strike against him or not.

Itachi smiles. "Ah I see. Well we're not sure if we're neighbors yet, but I'm Itachi and this is my foolish little brother, Sasuke."

Yep! He had totally called which was which. Sasuke. He liked the way that it sounded. It'd probably roll off his tongue nicely! Names were really important, after all.

Sasuke twitches at being called foolish. "Itachi." There was a warning growl to his voice that Naruto was finding disturbingly hot. Oh yeah. These were definitely Madara's relatives. They had the whole growling thing down. Though Madara had been an old man and Naruto hadn't really appreciated the growl coming from him as much as he did when it came from Sasuke, but he was getting off track again.

"Awe, come on." Naruto grins. "I'm sure he's not foolish." Sasuke shoots him a grateful look at that.

Gaara smiles. "It's just how siblings talk to each other." He sneakily checks Itachi out. "You'd know that, if you weren't an only child."

Sasuke mutters something that sounded, _"Lucky."_ Which earns him dirty look from Itachi, but Naruto could tell there was no real malice in it. It was just playful teasing.

"That's true, I guess." Sasuke smiles. "Well we inherited the vineyard, winery, or whatever you wanna call it." He glances back at the expansive property. "Though I guess technically, it's both. We just aren't sure what we want to do with it yet."

Gaara nods. "So you came to have a look around, then?" He smiles.

Judging by the way that Itachi was looking at Gaara, the elder Uchiha might be interested in doing a lot of looking around. Specifically, at the red head! Ha! Naruto knew they were into men!

"You could say that." Itachi nods as he glances around. "One certainly can't argue with the view."

Naruto nods in agreement. Though he was pretty sure Itachi hadn't just meant the landscape. This was going to be great! Believe it!

Now, they just had to convince the hot city slickers to stick around for awhile and maybe, he could get Sasuke out of that suit. Maybe, the younger Uchiha would be interested in a roll in the hay with him (or several, Naruto had always prided himself on his stamina)!


	2. Chapter 2

Something About Country Boys

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 2

Well Itachi wasn't sure exactly what he had been expecting when he and Sasuke left for Mangekyo Wines, but a sexy red head and a hot blonde hadn't been it. Despite Sasuke's playful teasing that he could lasso up a cowboy while they were at Mangekyo, the elder Uchiha Brother hadn't actually been planning on doing it. That was until he saw the boys next door, so to speak.

"Would you like help carrying your things in?" Gaara's beautiful eyes glance back towards the suitcases in the back of his car.

They really were such beautiful eyes. Aqua in color, but seemingly without pupils and framed by exotic, almost feral like markings. Upon closer inspection, the Economist decides that wasn't mascara around Gaara's eyes, but rather some deep bags underneath the red head's eyes from lack of sleep.

Strangely enough, the farmer in question didn't seem tired though. He must be a natural insomniac , Itachi muses. For someone to get bags under their eyes that dark, they weren't just from a couple sleepless nights. Those were from a lot of them.

Enough to be concerning, but Gaara appeared healthy. "Well I can't speak for Sasuke, but I know that I would definitely appreciate the help." So for now, Itachi was just going to admire the view and not press the issue further. "We weren't really sure how long we were going to be here, so we figured that it would be better to pack too much than too little."

Naruto grins, furthering lending credibility to Itachi's theory about the blonde. "Yeah! That makes sense!" The elder Uchiha could only surmise that his personality was likely as naturally sunny as those golden locks of his.

The blonde was a bit too perky for Itachi's tastes, really. He had that lovable dumb jock thing going for him. That or he reminded Itachi of a puppy. A golden retriever who was eager to fetch things.

In other words, he was the perfect distraction for his foolish little brother. Itachi didn't miss the way that those blue eyes were practically glued to Sasuke. The Brewery Owner didn't strike him as someone who was going to take no for an answer. Well at least not easily.

Naruto bounds over and grabs a suit case. "Yes, we thought so as well." Itachi chuckles as he watches the other man bound off towards the house.

Sasuke needed that really. His foolish little brother was just so focused on academics and now work, that was really the only way he was going to find someone. Someone who wouldn't allow themselves to be ignored and would force his brother to acknowledge them.

He knew that Sasuke would probably slap him for thinking these things. Sadly, Itachi couldn't help it. He wanted his foolish little brother to forge a strong bond with someone who wasn't family and just a friend.

"He's strong." Sasuke blinks. "That thing probably weighed fifty pounds with all of Itachi's stuff in it." That was true.

Itachi did carry a lot of paperwork and technical equipment with him. Mostly laptops and things of that nature. Most people would be shocked to discover how truly heavy that stuff could become in large quantities.

Gaara nods as if unsurprised by that. "Naruto owns a brewery. He's used to lugging about large barrels of whiskey and things of that nature." The red head shrugs. "So for him, that suitcase is nothing."

"Well that's good to know." Itachi chuckles. "I do hope that he doesn't make wine in his brewery. Because if that's the case, he may very well be our competition."

Sasuke tilts his head to the side as if considering that. Only Sasuke. Honestly. The man was going to be old before he was thirty at this rate.

Clearly, it was up to him to look out for Sasuke. He'd probably waste away in his fancy new office, if Itachi didn't. While he admired his brother's work ethic and he shared it, Itachi also knew that burnout was a very real thing. Something that was going to ensure that Sasuke didn't experience.

Gaara chuckles and shakes his head. "He essentially makes anything alcoholic that isn't wine. Naruto wasn't dumb enough to compete with Madara when it came to wine. That was your Great Uncle's specialty and Naruto is something of a novice when it comes to that beverage."

Sasuke nods as he appears to be pondering the matter. "Yeah. He does strike me as a beer and whiskey sort of guy." True enough. The complexities and subtleties of wine would probably elude someone like Naruto, Itachi thinks to himself.

"Naruto is someone who really likes variety, but you're right. He does love whiskey." Gaara smiles. "Though he has a particular weakness for vodka that got him in trouble more than once while he was still at Konoha State University."

The younger Uchiha snorts in amusement and Itachi knew that he was probably chuckling as well. He could only imagine what sorts of mischief the bubbly brewery owner might have gotten up to while he was at University.

"Good to know." Sasuke grabs a case out of the red convertible. "Well I guess we should probably get the stuff inside." He glances up at the sky. "It looks like it might right." And with that, Sasuke heads off.

Itachi nods in agreement. The sky did look pretty stormy and he didn't want to get caught in the middle of that! So he grabs a suitcase and follows after his brother. Though he notes with a smile, Gaara wasn't far behind.

* * *

Meanwhile Fugaku calls up Chidori Legal Services. They specialized in Wills and Real Estate. Sharingan Corp., rarely meddled with Wills. That was just too morbid. So he didn't really think of Chidori as a competitor, but right now Kakashi had some explaining to do.

"Kakashi speaking. How may I help you?" A cheerful voice was heard on the other end of the line.

Fugaku though was in no mood for pleasantries. His wife was giving him a rather disapproving look, but this had to be done. He had to know exactly what the old codger had been playing at.

He sighs as tries to ignore the dark beauty's less than pleased gaze. "This is Fugaku Uchiha speaking .Recently you read the Will of Madara Uchiha to my sons. Itachi and Sasuke." The Uchiha Patriarch would make it up to her later.

He did adore Mikoto. She was his Sun, his Moon, and his Stars. His Celestial Goddess would just have to forgive him though. This was about protecting their sons and Fugaku was not going to make any apologies over that! He'd do whatever was necessary to ensure Sasuke and Itachi were safe.

Kakashi sighs on the other end of the line. "Yes, I did read them Madara's Will." Obviously, Fugaku was not the first Uchiha he had dealt with.

Drafting Madara's last testament had likely not been an easy feat. Fugaku could easily envision the old man driving the lawyer completely mad with eccentric requests. For a moment, he feels a stab of pity for Kakashi.

It didn't last long though. He was a man on a mission. A mission to protect his sons and no lawyer was going to get in the middle of that.

"And what did it say?" He presses on as Mikoto shakes her head at him.

Another sigh, but that was to be expected. "I'm afraid that I can't tell you that, but they did inherit a substantial amount." He could almost imagine Kakashi shrugging. "What they choose to do with it or not do with it, well that's up to them."

Fugaku resented the underlying implication. That he was somehow treating them like children and wasn't aware of their legal status as adults. Honestly, he failed to see what was so difficult about the concept that he was going to protect his family!

"I know that there must be something that you can tell me!" It would be just like Madara to trifle with him from beyond the grave!

If anyone could do it, it would be that man. There was a reason why the family had dissociated themselves from him. He was a wild card. Utterly unpredictable and any morality that he had, well it operated in a very gray zone.

Madara had been hedonistic to the extremely, but he was also a genius. A genius who was more than capable of plotting. What the old man had been plotting at the end of his life exactly, remained a mystery for now. Though Fugaku had every intention of figuring it out as quickly as possible.

"I'm afraid not." The silver haired man sighs again.

Mikoto shakes her head and sits behind Fugaku on their bed. She smiles and begins giving him a shoulder rub. Oh that wasn't going to work!

Not this time! He was not going to be distracted by a shoulder rub! No matter how skilled she was at administering it or how soft his wife's hand were.

How did this woman have such ridiculously soft hands, anyway? "My Love, the man is just doing his job." It was like silk or something.

"I know, but you can't tell me that you aren't worried." Fugaku glances back at his wife. "You know what Madara is like."

Mikoto shakes her head and grabs the phone. "My apologies for my husband." She laughs quietly. "He means well, but sometimes he forgets himself. Please do keep us informed of anything that happens in Madara's case, if you're allowed to do so. Goodbye." And with that, she actually turns the phone off.

This was an outrage! How dare she cut him off like?! His Celestial Goddess was in for a Celestial Spanking of the highest order!

The Uchiha sighs and gets off the bed, before shoving him back onto it. She was soon straddling his hips and kisses him. "Fugaku, they're smart boys. They know what they're doing." She kisses him. "Have a little faith in them."

Well he'd deal with whatever Madara had been plotting later. Right now, he had a gorgeous brunette straddling his lap. He had his priorities and with that, he quickly cancels any meetings he had scheduled that day and enjoys some _quality time_ with his wife.

* * *

Elsewhere the Uchiha Brothers and their respective country boys had just finished dragging in all the luggage. Naruto seemed rather amused by the amount, but Sasuke wasn't really sure why.

Alright. They might have overdone it on the packing a little bit, but they really didn't go **that** crazy. Did they?

"Must be a lot of hair care products in there." He laughs.

Sasuke rolls his eyes at that. "I'll just file that under the backhanded compliment category and leave it at that since you were nice enough to be our bagboy."

He could hear Itachi chuckling at their mild bickering, but Sasuke didn't care. The blonde had asked for that one. He seriously didn't try to style his hair that way, it was just that was how it stuck up…if it wasn't soaking wet.

Speaking of soaking wet, he winces as a rather loud thunder clap strikes outside. It looked like they had gotten inside just in time. They would have all gotten drenched otherwise.

"No. I mean it's totally cool!" He grins. "Reminds me of a peacock or something."

Sasuke was pretty sure that was some sort of attempt at flirting in there. Well he supposed there were worse animals to be compared to and well, Itachi had a point. There really was something attractive about a pair of nice blue jeans attached to an even nicer ass.

Normally, such observations were beneath him. He'd always been more focused on school than getting a boyfriend or a lover. The very term boyfriend seemed so juvenile to Sasuke, but that's what it would have been called back in high school and mostly likely, even college.

He was so damn glad that he was done with school. "Whatever." Sasuke had despised the stereotypical high school and college atmosphere that was apparently inescapable, even at a fancy private high school and a prestigious university! Now, he was officially an adult and would gleefully substitute the word lover for boyfriend.

Not that it mattered much at this point. "At least this peacock knows that orange doesn't go with blonde hair." Sasuke didn't have one, but it could be fun to wind the idiot up.

"That's true." Gaara laughs. "I have warned him that it clashes, but it's just so Naruto."

Yeah. There was just something really hyper and bright about Naruto. So maybe, Gaara had a point there. Maybe, the blonde just _**belonged**_ in bright colors. Anyone else, probably would have looked ridiculous in that shirt ..not Naruto though.

No. On Naruto it looked natural and _cute._ Well cute or not, there wasn't much of a point in pursuing anything. While Sasuke was moderately confident that Naruto was at least bisexual, he still was taking a job at Sharingan Corp. in the fall and frankly, Mangekyo Wines was too far away from the city for a relationship to be realistic (and Sasuke didn't really believe in one night stands).

Itachi smiles. "You two are welcome to wait out the storm here." Right. Now, his brother was trying to do the country hospitality thing.

Sasuke had heard about it. He figured it was more of a movie stereotype than anything, but whatever. He didn't mind enjoying taunting Naruto for an hour or two longer. The storm probably wouldn't last that long anyway.

"Thank you. That'd be great." Gaara smiles. "Though we should probably head to the living room. There's a fireplace and if the power goes out, the fire would give us some light."

Damn. That was a good point. There was a very good chance that the power might go out.

Sasuke nods in agreement. "Right." He pauses. "Lead the way. This place is a complete maze." And that was definitely the truth. Madara's home was huge!

Naruto laughs as he leads the Uchiha Brothers to Madara's living room. To say the least, it was a pretty snazzy place to be. Half of the walls were ivory cream colored stone and the other half stately earthy colored bricks with an elegant fireplace in the middle. Though of course, Madara hadn't stopped there.

"Wow." Itachi blinks as he looks up. "That's one Hell of a Chandelier." And indeed it was.

There was more though. There was also a beautiful Chandelier lighting up the room and a handsome brown and white Persian Rug on the floor. Not to mention tan lazy chairs and the gorgeous cream colored couch that was staked with pillows. A lot more.

Sasuke nods in agreement. "This place really is amazing." Yeah. Sasuke was definitely right about that.

Madara hadn't stopped there though. There were a couple expensive paintings on the wall with mythological beasts like dragons and griffins on them and a cute oak coffee table in the center. Naturally, Naruto had put a vase full of sunflowers in the center said table to add a little something extra special to the place.

"The flat screen and laptop is also fully operational." Gaara smiles. "Though whatever you do, don't look at his browsing history."

Naruto laughs. "Yeah. We did that once. Never again." And the red head nods in confirmation as a particularly traumatizing memory flashes across his mind.

 _"Whoa!" Naruto grinned as he stared at Madara's laptop._

 _Gaara raised an eyebrow. Common sense told him that he probably didn't want to know, but curiosity was a powerful force. Too powerful to resist, apparently._

 _He shook his head and proceeded with extreme caution. "Naruto, did Madara say that you could use that?" It was a rather expensive looking laptop, after all._

 _Naruto nodded. "Well yeah. I asked." Good. "He said that I could, but I just happened to glance over his browser history."_

 _Oh boy. Gaara really didn't want to know now. He needed to make a quick exit. That was the logical thing to do in a situation like this1_

 _He most assuredly, did not want to know what a man Madara's age had in his browser history. This was especially true, when whatever it was, made Naruto grin like an idiot!_

 _"Right. Well I'll see you later." The horse ranch owner raced towards the door._

 _Naruto grinned and dragged Gaara back there. "No, seriously." He beamed at his best friend. "This shit is gold! I didn't know the human body was this flexible!"_

 _Gaara shook his head. He loved Naruto like a brother, but he could be such an idiot sometimes. He supposed it was his job to set him straight. Pun intended._

 _"Not to throw cold water on your discovery, but that's all straight adult entertainment." He shrugged. "So I fail to see what good it will do you."_

 _Suddenly, he heard a loud chuckling as Madara strode into the living room. "Well that's the straight version. It has a sister website for those who are a bit more exotic in their preferences."_

 _Righttt. Exotic in their preferences. Apparently, that was Madara's way of saying a site for women who liked women or men who liked men. That or maybe, that was just a small slice of it. The red head half expected the companion site to be even weirder than the original._

 _"Good to know." He face palmed. "Well that was enlightening. Let's go get some dinner. I hear that seafood place is having a Sushi Special today!"_

It had been utterly mortifying then, but Gaara chuckles at the memory now. Madara had truly been one of a kind. He had to give the Uchiha that much.

Nature appeared to be laughing alongside Gaara though. Soon enough, several loud roars of thunder and brilliant flashes of lightning were heard/seen outside the window and just like that, the power went out.

"Awe man!" Naruto sighs as everything, save for the fireplace's flames went black.

Well they had known it was coming. It was a good thing that they had retreated the living room when it did. Oh well.

This was actually a good thing, really. It gave him a decent excuse to spend more time with the Sexy Peacock! This was going to be great! He just had to turn on the charm was all.

Of course, that was made a bit difficult by the fact the guy's older brother was hanging out with them. "So I guess we should probably take you up on that offer of waiting out the storm." That was a minor detail though.

It would be challenging, but Naruto was damn sure that he could manage. After all, an Uzumaki never gave up. Besides, he still was pretty damn sure that Sasuke was actually gay.

Gaara might not be sure about the brothers, but Naruto was. Once again, he prided himself on his ability to sense these sorts of things.

"Probably a good idea." Sasuke nods. "We wouldn't want to send you off and then find out you got electrocuted by lightning. "

Yeah. That wasn't a pleasant thought. Naruto knew that the odds of such a thing happening were low, but still. Why take that chance?

"Well while we're here, why don't the two of us tell us about Madara." Itachi smiles pleasantly. "Honestly, it was a shock to find out that he put us in his Will. We've never really spoken to him before." It was such a disarming smile.

It made Naruto wonder what Sasuke's smile looked like. He was probably more of a smirker though. That was okay. Sometimes, smirks could be sexy!

Naruto laughs at Itachi's request. "Well Madara was definitely one of a kind." He couldn't help, but grin at that thought.

Gaara seemed to agree with him. He had no idea what the red head was remembering exactly, but it must have been a doozy. Then again, most things with Madara were.

There was never a dull moment with that guy. It was a shame that he had apparently never gotten a chance to get to know Itachi and Sasuke, but well…at least his memory lived on.

"We got that impression when he put a winky face in his Will." Itachi chuckles.

Not to be outdone, Sasuke decides to chime in. "And mentioned how beautiful women were in France." Yeah. That sounded like Madara.

For some reason, Itachi and Sasuke were exchanging rather amused looks at that last part. Hmm. That was interest. Naruto didn't get it.

"Which was ironic." Itachi shrugs, but smiles. "Since neither of us has any interest in French women or women in general." He pauses and clarifies. "Well at least not romantically."

Naruto beams. That was awesome! He had totally been right. The blonde couldn't help, but give Gaara a rather smug look at that declaration.

"Itachi!" Sasuke rolls his eyes at his brother. "That's not the kind of thing that you say, within an hour of meeting someone!" Well Sasuke kinda did have a point there, but Naruto was really too elated to be worried about such things.

He felt like he was literally walking on sunshine or something. This meant that Sasuke was gay and well, so was Itachi. That was cool. Gaara could have Itachi. He'd take Sasuke and it'd all work out beautifully! Believe it!

"Don't worry." Gaara smiles reassuringly. "That's not going to be an issue. We have no problem with the two of you preferring men."

Damn fucking straight, they didn't. Naruto snorts at the irony of that statement in his head, but presses on anyway.

Sasuke looks more than a little relieved at that. "Well that's good." Sadly, Naruto was pretty sure that Sasuke must have run into at least a couple of jerks who weren't too happy about his sexual orientation at some point. Hmm.

Maybe, Naruto would have to deal with a couple of idiots. The whole Knight and Shining Armor thing could work on his favor. Then again, Sasuke looked like a guy who could handle himself.

People didn't get that kind of body, if they were exclusively paper pushers. It was a shame that said body was covered up by entirely too many clothes at the moment though. Oh well. Naruto would just have to fix that later.

"Wonderful." Itachi smiles. "I don't know, if we'll end up keeping this place or not." His smile only grows. "But it would be nice to get along with the neigbors, if we do."

Oh yeah. Naruto agreed completely. He was more than eager to get to know Sasuke. Particularly, what Sasuke looked like without his clothes on and maybe, enjoy some snuggling up by the fireplace when his brother and Gaara weren't around.

He loved Gaara and Itachi seemed cool, but there were some things that you just didn't really do in front of other people. Actual snuggling might be been okay in front of them, but not the sexy kind of snuggling!

Sasuke nods in agreement. "Yeah. Well it looks like we're going to be here awhile. I wonder, if there's anything we can make to eat without the power on."

"Don't worry! I'll show you where all the good stuff is!" Naruto grins. "Madara liked to keep a lot of fancy snacks around to impress investors."

He loved ramen, but Sasuke struck him more as a fancy chocolate covered strawberry type of guy. Which was cool. Naruto liked those two and he knew that Gaara loved them. Itachi probably would as well.

Whether Madara had intended it or not, he had just sent his two very hot Great Nephews to Mangekyo Wines and Naruto intended to make the most of it. After all, why look a gift horse in the mouth? Pun intended. After all, his best friend owned a freaking horse ranch!

There was just no way that he was not going to make that joke! Well at least inside his head. Gaara would probably kill him, if he actually said it out loud. That was one feisty red head!


	3. Chapter 3

Something About Country Boys

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 3

Sasuke wasn't really sure how it happened, but he ended up sitting on the couch next to Naruto. That in of itself, wouldn't have been a big deal. That was after all, one of the primary purposes of a couch. To sit in. It was more the fact that Naruto was invading his personal space bubble that was the issue.

"Come on!" He grins at him. "Try it!" The blonde was sitting just a little too close to Sasuke for him to believe that he was only trying to be friendly. "This is the good shit!" And trying to encourage him to drink vodka.

It didn't help matters, that Itachi seemed to find this endlessly amusing. "That's probably not a good idea, Naruto." The elder Uchiha smiles slyly. "If memory serves, Sasuke learned his lesson about vodka at University."

Sasuke twitches. He was sincerely tempted to strangle Itachi at the moment! How dare he bring THAT up?! That hadn't been his finest moment!

"Well that certainly sounds like an interesting story." Gaara chuckles as he pours himself a glass of wine and one for Itachi.

To the younger Uchiha's absolute horror, it looked like Naruto was interested as well. Damn it! This wasn't the type of story you told someone that you just met! It was way too embarrassing.

Naruto looks like a cat that had found a bowl of cream though. "Really?" He grins. "What happened?" He smiles reassuringly at Sasuke. "Don't worry. Gaara and I both got a little crazy at University too!"

That was a bit better. At least, he wasn't the only one who had a couple skeletons in their closet. It had just been that one time though. Sasuke had never touched vodka in public again afterwards!

 **Warning Embarrassed Sasuke Scene**

"Sasuke had too much vodka at a college party." Itachi smirks. "And ended up spending the night with the Hozuki Brothers." Sasuke feels his face burn with embarrassment. "I'm not exactly sure what happened after the dirty dancing and making out, but they left together."

In Sasuke's defense, the Hozuki Brothers were hot and it really hadn't gone THAT far. Mostly drunken making out and some dancing. He'd come to his senses before he'd done anything too stupid!

Yeah. They had been gorgeous and everything, but Sasuke knew better than to start something he might not be able to finish. He'd been very focused on his studies and besides, that would have been awkward later down the line.

"Wow." Naruto blinks. "Never figured you for the type that would be that wild." Excuse him?! What was the blonde trying to imply?!

Sasuke twitches in annoyance. "I'm not. It was just one night and it isn't nearly as big a deal as Itachi is making it out to be." It had just been some sexy dancing and making out, damn it!

Naruto grins and offers him some vodka. Sasuke could only roll his eyes in response. The brewery owner was **not** subtle. He was definitely hitting on him.

"Don't feel bad." Naruto pats him on the back while slipping the glass in Sasuke's hands. "There are worse things to be than a frisky drunk."

That was it. Sasuke was going to kill this son of a bitch! He was not a frisky drunk!

 **End of Embarrassed Sasuke Scene**

"Sasuke, calm down." Itachi shakes his head disapprovingly. "It wouldn't do to get blood all over the expensive carpet and Naruto is only teasing you."

Gaara sighs in relief, when the elder Uchiha Brother's words appeared to work their magic. It looked like Sasuke followed Itachi's lead. Well that was good to know.

Otherwise, the red head had feared the raven haired man was actually going to slug his best friend or something. Naruto had a very playful nature and sometimes, he just didn't know when to quit. It was obvious that Sasuke tended to be more restraint in his everyday life, but the brewery owner had clearly gotten under his skin.

Sasuke rolls his eyes. "I guess you're right." He shrugs as he tries to act casual. "It'd be rather impolite to ruin Madara's carpet because Naruto is being an idiot."

At that moment, the horse ranch owner decides that it was vital to step in to save his friend. Naruto might not realize it, but he was on thin ice. Never piss off some businessman of a city slicker.

Those were the types who held grudges. Seriously, passive aggressiveness was a real thing. And it could be even more vicious than a flying fist, sometimes!

"Hey, I'm just saying I'm totally cool with it!" Naruto grins. "If you get a little grabby when you've had a bit too much to drink."

Gaara mentally groans. Oh boy. Naruto's rather direct style of flirtation was probably going to get him a black eye at this rate.

"When the weather clears, we could show you two the brewery and ranch." The red head smiles.

Changing the subject was the wisest course of action in this case. There was no need for a simple conversation to result in blows. Obviously, it was up to Gaara to prevent that from happening!

Itachi smiles and nods. "That sounds wonderful." Good!

While he might not be as blunt as Naruto, Gaara couldn't lie. His friend wasn't the only one who had his eyes on an Uchiha Brother. Fortunately, it looked like they weren't going after the same one.

That might not end well. As gorgeous as Itachi was, Gaara wasn't sure he would have been willing to risk his friendship with Naruto over it. They had been friends and business partners for years.

Sasuke seems to decide to take the lifeline that Gaara had offered. "Could be fun. What kind of horses and drinks do you guys have, anyway?" He stretches out a bit on the couch.

Gaara smiles happily. "Well Arabians, American Paint and Quarter Horses, English Thoroughbreds, Morgans, and Tennessee Walking Horses." He had a lot of breeds and prided himself on diversity.

"How many horses do you have?" Itachi tilts his head in surprise. "That sounds like a lot of breeds and I'm hardly an expert on the topic."

The red head was rather pleased by this question. "A hundred. I try to keep it to a hundred or less because realistically horses need a lot of space and there are laws about how many horses you can have based on acreage." It meant that Itachi was interested in his profession. "Fortunately, Suna is a very large property. So I can have quite a few of them."

Naruto nods his head excitedly. The man might own a brewery, but the blonde was also really good with animals. Horses were no exception.

"Yeah! They're pretty awesome!" He grins. "We should totally take you guys to see the horses and I'll show you all the stuff we make at the brewery. We pretty much make anything that isn't wine."

That was true. Mostly because Naruto knew that there was no competing with Madara in that area. He half suspected that his friend would have tried to make wines as well, if their neighbor didn't already have an enormously successful winery and vineyard.

Sasuke nods. "That might be fun." He sighs. "Looks like we're going to be here for awhile. This storm probably isn't going to let up anytime soon."

Gaara couldn't disagree with that assessment, but he truly didn't mind. That just meant that there would be more time for him to get to know Itachi better. And well, that was just fine with him.

* * *

The next day, Orochimaru smiles as he dials Madara's number. That was a new experience for him. Usually, he dreaded trying to make contact with that man.

Thankfully, that was no longer the case. The man had finally passed away. Presumably of old age, but that was none of his concerns.

No. He had far more practical matters on his mind today. "Hello." Like buying out Mangekyo Wines and absorbing it into Akatsuki Inc.

He could hear some shuffling on the other line and presumes that was because the other person was still waking up. It was still early. So Orochimaru didn't hold that against him.

"Hello. Itachi Uchiha speaking." Orochimaru smirks at this.

Ah good. Uchiha. That could mean only one thing. This was one of Madara's relatives. He knew that the old codger had a falling out with his family, but there were rumors that he might try to leave Mangekyo in the hands of his Great Nephews.

The fact that Itachi was the one who answered, just solidified these rumors in Orochimaru's mind. After all, what else would the man be doing answering Madara's phone? It only made sense.

"This is Orochimaru Sannin." This should be easy enough. "I am calling to offer my condolences on the passing of your Great Uncle and hopefully, to help you through this difficult and trying time."

There was a pause on the other end of the line. Orochimaru wasn't too worried yet though. It was likely that Itachi was still just grieving or processing the loss of his Great Uncle. Even if he hadn't known the man well, it was likely the principle of the thing.

The pause didn't last too long though. "Thank you, Mr. Sannin." A shuffling sound was heard indicating that Itachi must be adjusting the phone. "I do appreciate your concern, but I'm afraid that I don't know how you could possibly help my family during this time and that I don't really know who you are."

Well he could work with that. It looked like Madara hadn't left any warnings about Akatsuki in his Will. That was good. This should be a relatively simple matter then.

"Forgive me. Where are my manners?" Orochimaru chuckles. "I represent Akatsuki Incorporated. We'd be very interested in buying Mangekyo Wines from you and I assure you that we will do so at a very fair price." He might as well be blunt.

Itachi rolls his eyes. "I'm sure that you can offer a fair price." Suddenly feeling rather irritated. "Though you could have at least had the courtesy to wait until he was actually buried before trying to swoop in like a vulture. I shall speak with my brother and give your offer the due consideration it deserves." The nerve of this man! "Good day to you, Mr. Sannin." And with that, he hangs up.

He must have hung up rather loudly because a sleepy looking red head stumbles into the kitchen and looks at him in concern. Damn it. Now, he would have to explain this to Gaara.

"Is something wrong?" He tilts his head to the side in confusion.

Itachi sighs and tries to soothe his irritation by admiring the frankly adorable visual that a half asleep Gaara provided him with. "Someone wanted to buy Mangekyo Wines." For some strange reason, he was reminded of a panda. "They didn't even have the courtesy to wait until after the funeral to pounce."

Gaara shakes his head in disapproval. "Did he claim he was asking on behalf of a company known as the Akatsuki?" Though Itachi knew that the red head's disapproval wasn't directed at him.

Itachi blinks at the other man's perceptiveness. "Yes, he did." The fact that Gaara had guessed that so quickly was a bit disturbing. This probably wasn't' the first time that the Akatsuki had stuck their nose into Mangekyo Affairs.

Gaara walks over to him and sits on the counter. Itachi sensed that the red head wanted to see how he was taking everything. Probably trying to determine, if he was ready to fall to pieces or not.

"The Akatsuki is a rather successful wine company in their own right. They're very much corporate." His legs drift back and forth over the edge of the counter lazily. "And massive. They've wanted to buy Mangekyo for awhile. Probably stung their pride that Madara outmaneuvered them in the niche market of luxury wines."

Well that made sense. Mankgeyo seemed to be a highly profitable though relatively small operation. Well at least compared to a place like the Akatsuki. The will had indicated Mangekyo Wines was likely worth tens of millions of dollars, after all.

He shakes his head. "It seems that business is business. It doesn't matter what the product is." Itachi understood the principle of buying out the competition rather well.

He couldn't exactly fault the Akatsuki for using what was normally a rather successful strategy. What he could fault them for though was their utter lack of tack!

"That's true." Gaara smiles at him slyly. "So should we try to wake them up or let them sleep in?"

Itachi chuckles as he peeks his head through the kitchen door and towards the living room. Naruto and Sasuke must have fallen asleep on the couch last night.

At some point, he had realized that the storm wasn't going to let up and offered to let Gaara use one of the guest rooms. The red head had accepted, but Sasuke and Naruto had fallen asleep first. So he hadn't had the heart to wake them.

"Let them sleep in." Itachi smiles. "I do appreciate your telling me all that." It did explain a lot.

Gaara nods. "Of course, we are neighbors." He smiles at him. "Neighbors should look after each other."

It was a beautiful smile. Very subtle, but no less dazzling because of that. Itachi was sure that Naruto shot his infectious grin everywhere, but Gaara's smiles seemed to be reserved for more select occasions.

"We might be neighbors." Itachi sighs and shakes his head. "I don't really know what we'll end up doing with this place, but I doubt that we'll sell it to the Akatsuki."

The red head looks more than a little put out by that. "Well, that's something at least." He shoots a more forced smile at Itachi. "Madara would likely roll over in his grave and come back to haunt the both of you, if you ever did anything that foolish."

Itachi couldn't help, but chuckle at that image. He knew almost nothing about this Great Uncle of his who had just passed on. Still, he didn't doubt that for a minute.

Judging by his Will, the man had been quite the character to say the least. Though Itachi was beginning to understand why the black sheep of their family had been largely content to stay gone. The countryside was beautiful and other than the Akatsuki, it seemed far less cutthroat than the big city.

Well he owned half of Mangekyo Wines. Sasuke owned the other half. That meant that if he wanted to keep this place, he'd have to convince Sasuke. He wasn't sure if he was willing to go that far yet, but Mangekyo Wines did come with a complimentary sexy red head. So that was a point in its favor.

* * *

In the next room, Naruto was slowly waking up. He smiles as he realizes he was still sleeping on the couch and curled up next to Sasuke. He might be a little icy at first, but apparently he was a cuddly bastard.

Cuddly when he slept anyway. "Damn that can't be comfortable." He mutters as he reaches for Sasuke's business tie.

The bastard had fallen asleep in his business suit. How the Hell did people wear those suits all day?! Granted, it looked hot and everything. But still!

Naruto smiles as he pulls it off of him. That was better. Sasuke looked almost ethereal when he was sleeping. He half wished that Sai was here.

"Sai's a lot better at art than I am." Unfortunately, the blonde could barely manage more than a stick figure. "He'd be able to do this justice."

Naruto was too busy admiring the scenery that was a sleeping Sasuke, to notice when his eyes fluttered opened. He was on his back almost before he knew it.

"You're a damn pervert!" Though he was definitely noticing the angry Uchiha currently straddling his hips in a big way now! "I can't believe you! Why the **fuck** were you undressing me in my sleep?!"

Oh right. This looked bad. Naruto gulps. Was it wrong that he found angry Sasuke, disturbingly hot? Because he did.

"Foolish little brother." Itachi sighs as he walks into the room. "Do you really think that Naruto would be stupid enough to try something like that when he knew that you two weren't alone in this house?" Itachi shakes his head.

Sasuke raises an eyebrow. "Uh huh. So why was this damn pervert, taking off my tie in my sleep?!" Yeah. It sounded pretty bad, when the raven haired man put it that way.

In Naruto's defense though, he was going to stop at the tie. Well the tie and maybe the jacket. It just looked like it would be really uncomfortable to sleep in those fancy clothes!

Gaara shakes his head at Sasuke. "Because you were sleeping in an expensive business suit." He shrugs and smiles good-naturedly at Sasuke. "Naruto probably thought that you would just be uncomfortable and unfortunately, the man doesn't know how to respect personal boundaries sometimes."

"And apparently, neither does my brother." Itachi smirks as he notices that Sasuke was still straddling Naruto. "I think that you owe the nice man an apology, Sasuke."

Sasuke hated that smirk. Damn it. He had overreacted, but in his defense…what was he **supposed** to think?!

He sighs and tries to will his blush to go away. "I'm sorry for assuming the worst and I shouldn't have jumped you." The younger Uchiha quickly gets off Naruto's lap.

"It's okay." Naruto rubs the back of his head sheepishly and smiles. "I mean, I guess I should have asked first."

Sasuke nods in agreement and Naruto grins. Well he knew it was a risk, but well….no guts, no glory. That was the old saying, right? Fortune favors the bold? Seize the day? Stuff like that was what he was going with.

He smiles at Sasuke. "You can jump me anytime you want though. I'd just prefer it, if you weren't trying to hit me…when you did." And with that, the sexy bastard twitches.

He probably shouldn't enjoy winding the peacock up so much, but Naruto couldn't help it. It was just ridiculously easy to get a rise out of the probably normally stoic business. He liked ruffling Sasuke's feathers.

"You really are such a pervert!" Sasuke glares at him.

Itachi chuckles. "How about we meet the two of you outside in a few minutes." He glances at Gaara warily. "I have something that I need to tell in private. A family affair."

* * *

Before either man could protest, Naruto was drug outside by Gaara and Sasuke was drug into the kitchen by Itachi. Itachi sighs and looks at Sasuke, uncertain of how to break this news.

"Itachi, what the Hell is going on?" His brother's glare was now trained on him.

Well that was likely a good thing, Itachi decides. He doubted even the blonde would be able to stand up to the Uchiha Death Glare for too long. Actually, the elder Uchiha Brother considered it something of a miracle that Sasuke had hit the blonde yet.

He braces himself though and prepares to tell Sasuke what happened. "While you were asleep, I received a man called Orochimaru Sannin." This was probably going to get ugly.

His brother was naturally competitive, but he wasn't a vulture. The tactics of the Akatsuki were likely going to repulse him. It was really the principle of the thing.

Sasuke raises an eyebrow. "You're acting as though I should recognize that name." Not really. Itachi hadn't recognized it before hand, but that was probably because Sharingan didn't have anything to do with winemaking or selling.

"Not really. Apparently, he works for a company known as Akatsuki. They're a titan in this industry." Yep. A cautious approach was definitely warranted in this particular situation.

His younger brother blinks and Itachi nods as Sasuke connects the dots. He was smart enough to read between the lines. It truly wasn't that hard in this case.

"Did those vultures seriously offer to buy us out, before he was even buried?!" Yep. Sasuke was outraged.

Not that Itachi could blame him. He'd had the same reaction. Quite honestly, this type of behavior didn't endear him the Akatsuki in the slightest.

Itachi opens the fridge and pours them each a glass of orange juice. "Yes, that's exactly what Mr. Sannin did." It gave him something to do with his hands and excuse to take a bit to compose his replies.

When Sasuke went off, he tended to go off rather quickly. One needed a battle strategy to deal with his foolish little brother's temper. Though in this case, it was indeed warranted.

"Did you tell him to go fuck himself?" Sasuke raises an eyebrow.

The elder Uchiha could only snort in amusement. Sasuke was well Sasuke. When they weren't in the boardroom, his language would suddenly turn rather vulgar when he got irritated.

Sadly, there was no denying that was what was going on right now. Sasuke was irritated. An irritated Sasuke was a dangerous creature and everyone in their family knew it.

Itachi laughs a bit at the vulgarity though. "It crossed my mind." He smiles slyly. "I told him that I would discuss it with you and give his offer the due consideration it deserved."

Sasuke rolls his eyes. "Which of course is none." Precisely.

His brother might be foolish, but Sasuke was perceptive. He was excellent at reading between the lines. Which was a skill that Itachi could certainly appreciate.

"Exactly." He pokes Sasuke's forehead. "I just thought that you should be made aware of the offer." The economist smiles at him. "After all, we both inherited half of Mangekyo Wines. We're partners."

Sasuke grumbles at the forehead poke, but nods his head in agreement. "Yes, partners." The younger Uchiha sighs as he glances out the window. "Who have a couple of cowboys waiting on us."

Itachi shakes his head in amusement. That was his foolish little brother. He had the temper of an active volcano, but he could also be very amusing at times.

"Indeed." Itachi leads him towards the door. "Well it would be rather rude to keep them waiting." He opens it for Sasuke and steps aside to allow his brother to walk out first. "And Uchihas are many things, but rude is never one of them."

Sasuke nods in acknowledgement of that statement and walks through the door. Though Itachi could tell that his brother was trying to hide it, there was a certain bounce in the younger man's step that was hard for him to ignore. Sasuke could deny it all he wanted, but he had always been a sucker for a pair of blue eyes and well, Itachi had always had a thing for blue jeans.

They were probably both screwed. It just remained to be seen in which manner. The fun way or the not so fun way. Oh well. Only time would tell, Itachi supposed. And with that thought in mind, he walks outside with his brother to Gaara and Naruto.


	4. Chapter 4

Something About Country Boys

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 4

About an hour later, Sasuke was getting really, really close to smacking the Hell out of Itachi. If his brother made one more horse joke, he was going to be smacked upside the head and that was a fact!

"Yes, Aoda does seem rather fond of you." Gaara smiles.

Aoda was one of the many horses that the red head owned. Judging by the information on his stable, the stallion was a Tennessee Walking Horse. According to Gaara, that breed was widely considered to be the most naturally even tempered of all of them. So perhaps, that wasn't surprising.

That all would have been fine, if it wasn't for his damn brother. His brother who was going out of his way to embarrass him! Sasuke honestly didn't know what he had done to deserve this!

Itachi chuckles and gives Sasuke a sly look. "Yes, I imagine all the stallions will want Sasuke to ride them." Oh that was it!

"You got a problem, Itachi?!" Sasuke twitches as he lunges for him.

He'd had this coming. That was probably Itachi's sixth or seventh horse joke and they were all rather suggestive in nature. It didn't help matters that he kept glancing at Naruto as he makes his comments.

Itachi laughs as he manages to dodge Sasuke's furious lunge. "Of course not." He pokes the other Uchiha's forehead. "I'm merely enjoying the beautiful day and the tour of Gaara's ranch." That was just infuriating! "Why would I have a problem?"

"Should we try to break this up?" Naruto looks at Gaara warily and the red head shakes his head.

Well obviously, the ranch owner had some common sense. He knew better than to get in the middle of fights between brothers. Point one for Gaara for common sense and a point to Naruto for giving a fuck.

The red head shakes his head again. "No." He smiles at the other man. "This is just a normal example of sibling rivalry."

Well Sasuke didn't know, if he agreed with that. Their family was many things and he loved them all, but they were definitely not normal. The Uchiha Family was filled with overachievers and that extended into the professional and personal realms!

Like right now! He was personally going to lodge his foot up Itachi's ass, if the idiot didn't knock it off! He didn't want economist to get any funny ideas about giving Naruto funny ideas!

"Yeah. I guess so." Naruto laughs as he watches.

For Godsakes, even Aoda was neighing. He was neighing in a way that sounded like the horse was actually laughing at him! Unbelievable! This really wasn't his day!

"Sasuke, calm down." Itachi smiles serenely at him. "It's quite nice that you have a couple stallions cuddling up to you already."

Sasuke twitches again and decides to have another go at his brother. The only stallion that he had really interacted with thus far was Aoda. The younger Uchiha knew exactly who the other stallion was in this context! Naruto!

"They are quite amusing to watch." Gaara smirks.

Naruto nods in agreement. "I should have got some popcorn ready." He blinks as he watches the brothers go at it. "Damn, Sasuke is feisty."

Of course, none of that mattered to Sasuke! He was only distantly aware of their conversation. No. What mattered was kicking Itachi's meddling ass!

"That's true." Gaara blinks as he watches the fight ensue. "And Itachi is rather agile, it seems."

* * *

Meanwhile Orochimaru was at a meeting with the rest of the Akatsuki. To say the least, Nagato was far from pleased with what had happened. That meant the businessman was not having a good day.

"I can't believe you called them before the funeral." Konan rolls her eyes at him.

Konan's reactions didn't help matters. She was Nagato's wife. Her displeasure was naturally going to be noted by her husband and only magnify the Akatsuki's CEO's own frustration.

It might not have been his best idea, but Orochimaru felt his decision had been justified. "I didn't want to miss our chance to buy Mangekyo Wines." After all, one had to strike while the iron was hot. He doubted anyone else had made an offer this quickly. "If we waited too long, they would have sold to someone else."

He sighs as he looks around the expensive conference room. Everything was the best. All the way from the glass chandelier to the beautiful cherry wood table. Not to mention, they all had rather comfortable executive chairs that were fun to spin around in.

"You fucking idiot." Hidan rolls his eyes. "People get really sensitive and shit, after a family member dies." Orochimaru didn't care Hidan's scorn.

The man was by far the most vulgar member of the Akatsuki. There were many days where Orochimaru wondered how on Earth he had ever made the cut, but the man was also a genius. That and he was positively ruthless when it came to business.

Deidara laughs and shakes his head. "Fighting with each other, isn't going to help!" That true. "Yeah?" Though Orochimaru had never expected Deidara to bet he one to come to his aid!

Kakuzu's eyes glance around the room. That man never missed anything. He only saw one color though and that was green.

Green like the beautiful Persian Rug underneath their feet which went so nicely with the creamy white walls. Orochimaru could see the connected bath room in the corner and they all had a engraved name plate in front of them. With all their names engraved in gold.

"Probably not, but Orochimaru might have just lost us a golden business opportunity." The Akatsuki had achieved a level of success that was almost unheard of and they all planned to keep it that way. "Though I suppose there's no use in crying over spilled milk."

Sasori sighs as he looks at the clock. "We'll need to smooth things over with them somehow." It was obvious that the red head felt uncomfortable sitting around and doing nothing, but he didn't have a plan of attack yet.

Kisame grins and that made Orochimaru very nervous. "Well it'd probably be best to wait awhile and then I'll go and talk to the brats." Kisame grinning, usually didn't end well.

Nagato sighs. "Well unfortunately, we now have to wait." Damn it. "Orochimaru's actions have seen to it that they already have a rather negative view of our organization. They need time to grieve."

He didn't see what everyone was so upset about! Would they have rather waited until someone else offered and the property was already sold?! What on Earth was the matter with these people?!

Clearly, Orochimaru was going to have to take matters into his own hands. He wasn't sure how he was going to do that as of yet. Though he was confident that he would come up with a plan! After all, he wouldn't be in the Akatsuki…if he wasn't the best at what he did.

* * *

Back at the ranch, Gaara shakes his head in amusement. "Naruto, why don't you show Sasuke how to ride Aoda?" It was entertaining watching the brothers bicker, but he didn't want anyone to seriously get hurt. "I'm going to show Itachi your brewery."

"Yeah!" Naruto grins. "Sure! That sounds great!"

The red head didn't doubt that for a minute. His friend was being rather obvious about his attraction towards the "peacock." So Gaara was doing what any good friend would do, he was trying to help Naruto.

In the event that Sasuke returned the blonde's feelings, he probably wouldn't make a move with his brother watching him. So it was only natural for Gaara to avoid this potential problem by giving them some alone time.

Sasuke tilts his head. "What makes you so sure that I don't already know how to ride him?" Ha! The businessman had to be kidding him!

It was obvious that the Uchiha Brothers were city slickers. Through and through. That was fine though. He and Naruto would make good country boys out of them yet!

"I'd love to see the brewery." Itachi smiles at him and Gaara nods as he gestures for the other man to follow him.

God, Itachi had a great smile. The red head didn't believe in lying, not even to himself. And if he was being honest, well Naruto wasn't the only one who needed some alone time with an Uchiha Brother.

He smiles back at economist. "Good." The horse ranch owner quickly laces his fingers with Itachi's and leads him to his car.

His property and Naruto's were right next to each other. They were both large though. It was just easier to take the car than to force Itachi to walk that far in a suit.

He had no idea how the city slickers managed it. How did they not sweat to death in those things? Maybe, Naruto had the right idea. Maybe, Gaara should see about taking that tie and jacket off Itachi…

"Is it a long drive?" Itachi looks at him and Gaara shakes his head.

No. They'd probably be there in five minutes. Ten at the moment. This wouldn't take long.

"No. We'll be there soon." He buckles his seatbelt, once they were in the car. "Have you ever been to a brewery before?"

Itachi chuckles. "No, I'm afraid this is my first time." His eyes sparkle with mischief. "So you'll have to be gentle."

He _really_ had to convince these two to stay. Itachi was gorgeous and he had a dirty sense of humor. What more could a man ask for really? With that thought in mind, Gaara drives them off to the brewery.

* * *

Meanwhile Naruto beams at Sasuke. "So have you ever ridden a horse before?" This was great! He finally had some alone time with Sasuke and he could show him how to ride a horse properly!

Sasuke was watching him a bit warily. It almost made Naruto want to snicker. You would think that Sasuke was a cute little bunny and that he was the fox having a go at him.

"A couple times." Sasuke pauses, apparently deciding elaboration was necessary. "When I was a kid. Though those were just rides at fairs and things of those nature." Typical city boy. "There was always a handler nearby."

Well at least Sasuke was honest. It looked like they were essentially starting from scratch. That was fine with Naruto.

It just meant that he would have more time to win over the ever elusive Uchiha. It was strange that he was so open about everything, but such a damn dancer.

"Right. Don't worry about it." Naruto beams at him in what he hoped was a reassuring manner. "Aoda loves you." He grins more. "So this should be pretty easy."

Sasuke looked less than convinced, but Naruto helps him up on the gentle horse anyway. Aoda came from an easygoing breed to begin with and he was even more friendly than most of the other Tennessee Walking Horses.

In other words, he was probably the perfect horse for a beginner. A beginner like Sasuke. Who looked way too hot straddling Aoda.

Sasuke didn't look particularly comfortable though. "He's not going to buck me, is he?" Nah. This wasn't Kurama.

"Nah. He's nothing like Kurama." Kurama was an Arabian and wild as fuck. "Aoda's never bucked anyone before.

This prompts the Uchiha to raise a perfectly shaped eyebrow. "Whose Kurama?" For Godsakes, even his eyebrows were hot!

Naruto smiles though. If nothing else, the horses were definitely a good icebreaker. He wasn't really sure how chatty Sasuke was about stuff in general. He kinda had the whole Ice Prince thing going on and this was a perfect way strike up a conversation.

"He's probably the wildest horse that Gaara owns." Naruto laughs and shakes his head. "And as far as I know, he's only ever let me or Madara ride him."

That was something about the late Mangekyo Owner that Naruto had always admired. No one could say no to Madara Uchiha. Well no one besides his family anyway. They apparently had in a very big way.

Sasuke snorts in amusement. "Sounds like a challenge." He pauses. "Maybe, when I get more used to this, I'll give riding him a go."

Naruto laughs and shakes his head. "Yeah. You're definitely related to Madara." The blonde smiles though. "When he throws that sexy ass of yours, I'll make sure to catch you."

At this, Sasuke just rolls his eyes. Oh well. Naruto knew his style to flirtation was a hit or miss thing. Even if it was a miss though, Gaara had always told him that he had a habit of growing on people. Hopefully, that would be the case here.

"Never talked to the guy." Sasuke shrugs as he pets Aoda a bit nervously. "So I don't know how to take that, but I'll have to make sure that Kurama doesn't buck me. You'd probably try cop a feel, if you caught me."

Damn fucking straight, he would! What gay guy wouldn't? Speaking of gay guys, Naruto couldn't help but wonder how Gaara was getting along with Itachi.

* * *

A few minutes later, Gaara and Itachi had arrived at Rasengan Brewery. To this day, the red head still didn't know how Naruto had come up with the name. Whatever. He wasn't going to argue with it.

"This place is amazing." Itachi smiles as he looks around in awe.

Gaara could only nod in agreement. "Yes, Naruto and I got really lucky when we inherited the properties from our parents."

He simply couldn't imagine doing anything else than this anymore. Though Gaara did acknowledge, he probably would have a different career if he hadn't been born on a horse ranch, that didn't matter. It was in his blood.

"Definitely." Itachi looks around curiously,.

His eyes were definitely drifting towards the barrels. Not that Gaara could blame him. Anyone would have been curious. Really, how often did one end up in a brewery?

"As I said, Naruto sells pretty much anything alcoholic that isn't wine." He smiles.

Gaara couldn't seem to stop smiling around the eldest Uchiha Brother. This was beginning to become a habit.

Itachi laughs and nods. "That does sound like him." He tilts his head to the side. "Why not wine though?" Itachi pauses and glances at Gaara slyly. "Was he really that afraid of Madara?"

Who wasn't afraid of Madara? That man had quite the intimidating presence when he wanted, but no. That hadn't been it.

"Naruto doesn't really know the meaning of the word fear." He snorts as at least a hundred instances of why that was the case flash through his mind. "But I suppose he just wasn't patient enough to go into the wine business and it was a bit of a courtesy. Madara was our neighbor."

Itachi nods in understanding as his fingers trace over a barrel of ale. Gaara had never been jealous of a fucking barrel before, but he had never really believed in love at first sight before either. Though the more rational part of his mind knew that this was more likely lust at first sight than anything else.

Still the way that the economist's hands traced over that damn barrel was disturbingly sensual. There was just something almost otherworldly about Itachi. Gaara supposed that it was his natural grace.

"You seem to have known him well." Itachi looks at him expectantly.

"Well we knew him as well as anyone could ever really know Madara Uchiha." Gaara smirks at that knowledge. "The man was always something of an enigma. There's just no getting around that."

The Uchiha tilts his head to the side. It was if he was trying to figure out if there was more information he could get out of the red head. And sadly, Gaara was pretty sure that he would have told Itachi wanted to know.

He smiles at him. "It sounds like there is quite the interesting story in there somewhere." Indeed. There definitely was!

* * *

At that same moment, Mikoto shakes her head in disbelief. Honestly, her husbands was being absolutely ridiculous. Itachi and Sasuke were grown men and could make their own decisions!

"Don't give me that look." Fugaku stuffs some more clothes into the suitcase. "You know that you want to see them too."

That was true. That didn't change that her husband was being absolutely ridiculous. She didn't know what was wrong with him.

She shakes her head and kisses his cheek. "I do want to see them, but they have every right to inspect their inheritance." He had actually booked them a flight!

"Yes, they do." He smiles at her charmingly. "And as their father, I have every right to counsel them on this and any other matter." It was a kind smile and his secret weapon.

She could only imagine the fireworks that were likely about to go off. Itachi was obviously growing a bit restless under Fugaku's firm hand. Her husband meant well, it was just that he could be a bit too enthusiastic with his _advice_.

Most people offered suggestions. Fugaku didn't. His advice was more like an order and their children knew that.

"We'll go and see them, but in the end it's their decision." She sighs and cuddles to him. "Not ours." At some point, he had to understand that their baby birds were ready to leave the nest.

It was a hard thing for her to come to gripes with, but the mother of two had. There was no reason why Sasuke and Itachi shouldn't explore Mangekyo Wines to their hearts' content. Besides, she doubted that they were going to keep it anyway.

Fugaku nods in understand. "Of course. Well we had better go." He grins at her. "Our flight leaves in three hours."

She loved this man with every fiber of her being, but he could be so ridiculously stubborn. In that regard, Fugaku was far more like Madara than he ever wanted to admit! It was in the genes, she sup posed.

"Very well." She sighs and shakes her head as they leave for the airport.

* * *

Back with Itachi and Gaara, Itachi smiles. The red head was certainly more subtle than his friend, but he had seen the glances. It was just that Itachi wasn't sure, if he wanted to act on them or not.

"So what's your poison of choice?" Gaara smiles at him.

He didn't know, what he was going to do with Mangekyo Wines. Even if he did, Itachi had to consult Sasuke about it. They were partners. The elder Uchiha Brother knew that he couldn't make a decision on a whim in this case. No matter how sexy that whim might be!

Itachi smiles. "Usually, I drink wine or champagne." Well he supposed there was no harm in a mild flirtation.

Maybe, something would come of it. Maybe, it wouldn't. Besides, the economist was sure that Gaara received lots of offers. He was unlikely to be heartbroken, if nothing came of it.

"That makes sense." Gaara shakes his head in amusement. "You do strike me as the elegant sort."

If nothing else, it was fun. Itachi could only hope that Sasuke and Naruot didn't kill each other, while he was having his fun with Gaara. And knowing Sasuke, that was only thought half in jest!

"I'll take that as a compliment." He smiles at him slyly. "Though I have to admit that I'm not always elegant."

That was true. Sasuke couldn't handle vodka. Itachi had his own weakness. He supposed that almost everyone did, if you looked hard enough.

Why he felt inclined to tell Gaara, he wasn't sure. Probably because the red head was essentially a stranger. His judgment wouldn't impact him, if Itachi decided to head back to the city.

"That does sound rather interesting." Gaara looks at him curiously with a tiny smirk. "Tell me more."

The city with his brother. The city where he had an excellent job and two loving parents. Yes, Fugaku Uchiha loved to meddle more than was healthy, but Itachi knew that it was only done out of a place of love.

That didn't mean that he hadn't wanted to strangle his father more than once though. That was just a normal part of being part of a family.

Itachi chuckles. Gaara could apparently be quite bossy when he wanted to be. "Whiskey is to me, what Vodka is to Sasuke." Though it hardly mattered.

He had no idea what he was going to be doing in a week from now. Itachi might as well enjoy the moment and it was fun to see Gaara's rather surprised expression.

"Really?" He smirks at that. "Whiskey, huh?" He gestures around the brewery. "Well we do have plenty of that."

Itachi chuckles. The red head might be better at hiding it, but deep down he was apparently just as eager as Naruto. The only question was whether or not, Itachi would take what Gaara was offering.

"That is quite a lot of whiskey." He glances around. "It's amazing that you and Naruto can manage such large operations already and neither of you seems to be showing any signs of stress besides bags under your eyes." Itachi smiles. "Not that I mind. I think that they flatter you."

Gaara sighs. He'd probably been asked this question at least a hundred times before, but he seemed willing to humor Itachi. "I'm an insomniac. It doesn't matter what I do, I just can't sleep much." He shrugs. "It doesn't impact my health. So I'm not worried about it."

Realizing that he may have stumbled upon a sensitive topic, Itachi decides to remove his foot from his mouth. "Ah I see. Well to answer your question, whiskey makes me frisky."

Gaara laughs at that and shakes his head. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind." He smirks at Itachi. "We wouldn't want you to start dirty dancing with whoever the Hozuki brothers are."

Itachi smiles. "Well that's true." Still, he wouldn't mind dirty dancing with Gaara.

Now, that could be fun. Judging by the way that Gaara filled out those jeans, he was probably in great shape. Which most likely meant great sex.

Damn. He was going to need a cold shower. Badly. He was acting like a high school student with his first crush.

"Very true." Gaara smiles at him more. "Shall we go and make sure that Naruto and Sasuke haven't killed each other yet?"

Itachi nods in agreement. "Yes, that's probably a good idea." And with that, the two young men headed off in search one grumpy Uchiha and bubbly Uzumaki!


	5. Chapter 5

Something About Country Boys

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 5

 _Irritated._ A few days later, Fugaku determines that was Mikoto's current mood. She was irritated with him, but it couldn't be helped.

"You're angry with me." He sighs as he drives their rental car towards Mangekyo Wines.

His wife rarely actually lost her temper. The few times that he had actually been afraid of her were when she was delivering their sons or when she was threatening him with the couch.

The Uchiha Patriarch knew that it was a bit pathetic, but that threat almost always worked. No man wanted to sleep on the damn couch when he had a comfortable bed and beautiful wife he could cuddle up with instead. (And Mikoto knew that, which was why the sneaky, little minx threatened him with the couch in the first place)!

Mikoto crosses her arms. "More like exasperated." Uh oh. The arm cross. "They're adults, Fugaku." That was never a good sign.

That was usually only a breath or two away from the Couch Threat. He didn't understand why it was so difficult for Mikoto to see his reasoning on this though! Yes, they were adults.

That didn't mean that they weren't capable of making mistakes though! He'd be a very poor father, if he didn't try to prevent that from happening. Neither of them knew the first thing about running vineyards and wineries! This could only end in disaster!

"I know that, but that doesn't mean that I don't worry about them." He sighs as he pulls the car up the long drive way.

Mikoto's gaze softens somewhat and she kisses his cheek. "I know that you worry about them and I love you for it. I love that you care, but it's time for them to make their own decisions." She shakes her head. "And they would probably appreciate it, if you gave them more affectionate love instead of tough love from now on."

He shakes his head. Fugaku Uchiha knew that his wife meant well, but he was just trying to help them. After all, no one ever became successful because they received some Hug Quota. That was ridiculous.

Eventually, he'd forge a warmer bond with them. Most likely somewhere around the time that the grandchildren came along. Grandchildren that he knew Mikoto was very much looking forward to!

"I'll keep that in mind, My Love." He smiles at her and offers the dark beauty his hand. "For now, let's go inform them of our arrival."

Mikoto hesitates, but takes it. "They aren't going to be very happy with us." Oh Fugaku knew that as well. Itachi and Sasuke were going to be furious, but that was just part of the fun!

The Uchiha woman shakes her head at him as they walk over to the door and she knocks. It was such a polite knock. He preferred a firm smack to the door. Louder noises got people's attention faster, but he'd wait a moment to see if her more considerate knock was noticed.

Surprisingly, it worked because a moment later, the door was opened. Unfortunately, it wasn't Itachi or Sasuke. A red head had answered the door. Had they gotten the address wrong?

"Our apologies." Fugaku decides that had to be the case. "We though that we were at Mangekyo Wines."

The red head tilts his head in confusion. "There's nothing to apologize for." He smiles at them. "You are. I'm Gaara Sabaku. I own the horse ranch next door. You must be…Itachi's and Sasuke's parents?"

They had to be. The woman in particular looked like Sasuke, but Gaara could see hints of Itachi in the man's face. He had a bad feeling about this though.

Neither of the Uchiha Brothers had mentioned their parents were coming to visit. That meant that this was likely a sneak attack. The Uchiha Parents hadn't told Itachi and Sasuke that they were coming.

"Yes, we are." Mikoto smiles. "I'm Mikoto Uchiha and this is my husband, Fugaku." She did have a nice smile.

That was probably where Itachi got his from. Wait. He was getting distracted. He needed to prevent a potential disaster! Gaara needed to focus!

"Pleasure to meet you both." He smiles at them. "Would you mind waiting here while I tell them that you're here?"

Fugaku nods as he looks around. "That sounds fine." Not that Gaara could blame them. Mangekyo Wines was certainly a beautiful property. He had been here hundreds of times and even he couldn't get over the almost ethereal quality to the place!

Gaara nods and quickly heads inside to find Itachi. Naruto and Sasuke were out. The blonde was still trying to teach the younger Uchiha Brother how to properly ride a horse and well, the red head wasn't about to complain over this development. After all, it meant more alone time for him and Itachi!

"Itachi!" He heads into the kitchen and smiles at the sight of Itachi making sunnyside eggs.

The sexy Economist in question smiles and turns off the stove. Itachi was smart in that way. The man as far as Gaara could tell was constantly aware of his surroundings and wouldn't do something as careless as risking getting burnt unnecessarily.

Damn. That smile. "What is it, Gaara?" The ranch owner wasn't sure what was more distracting. Itachi's smile or the scent of food.

"It's not a what." The other man sighs as he braces himself for the fallout of his news. "It's more of a who."

Itachi raises an eyebrow at this. "Alright. I'm listening." He looks at Gaara with concern. "Who has you this flustered?"

This wasn't going to end well. Gaara considered himself an expert when it came to reading horses' emotions, but also people to a lesser degree. Itachi might be happy now, but he was going to bulk soon.

"Your parents are here and they're waiting outside the front door." The red head sighs and shakes his head. "I don't believe you knew they were coming because you never mentioned it."

He was right. "You're kidding!" The way that Itachi's eyes narrowed said it all.

The elder Uchiha Brother was pleased by this ambush. Gaara could only hope that things didn't turn too ugly. Though he had a feeling that was a distinct possibility.

"I'm not." Gaara shakes his head. "I think they were just worried about the two of you."

Itachi sighs and sets the table. "Well I suppose, I'll just have to ease their concerns and hopefully get them out of here, before Sasuke sees them." And with that, Itachi heads off to answer the door properly.

* * *

Meanwhile Sasuke was out on the ranch again. He was riding Aoda. Well if you could call a slow walk riding, but Sasuke liked to think that he was getting better at getting on and off the horse and Naruto was walking a bit further away now. So that was progress.

"That's much better!" He grins at Sasuke.

It was hard not to smile when the idiot looked up at Sasuke as if he had given the other man the world. Though the younger Uchiha knew the truth. Getting attached to the blonde was just asking for it.

Despite that, the raven haired man found himself smiling back at Naruto and nodding. "Yeah. I think that I don't need the backup anymore." He felt a bit silly, really.

He wasn't some kid riding a pony at the fair. Sasuke was a grown man and he didn't need "training wheels" so to speak. That and he wanted Naruto to know that he could stand (or ride a horse) on the strength of his own two feet. He wasn't some child that needed coddled!

"It'd probably be better just to be on the safe side." Naruto smiles at him. "But you're doing great, especially for a city boy."

Sasuke just rolls his eyes at this. Apparently, the rural and urban divide was as wide as ever. Not that he could judge. He supposed such rivalries were partially innate, but also to a large extent cultural.

If Sasuke had been the cowboy, he probably would have laughed his ass off at Naruto trying to ride a horse. The blonde was actually a lot less judgey than most. (And no, Sasuke didn't care that judgey wasn't actually a word)!

He could make up his own words, if he wanted to. "I think I can handle it." Sasuke smirks. "I'll be riding Kurama in no time!" It was the principle of the thing.

The lawyer knew almost nothing about horses, but he recognized a beautiful one when he saw one. That was just an instinctive reaction. There was just something very primal and beautiful about the black Arabian known as Kurama.

If the horse could actually talk, he'd probably be daring people to be dumb enough to ride them. That and threatening to throw them off, but he had never shied away from a challenge. If Madara could do it, Sasuke could do it!

"I'm sure you can handle anything that you put your mind to." Naruto laughs. "I'll go get Kurama then. If you're actually going through with this crazy idea of yours, it'd be better for him to get used to you first." Well that was a fair point.

In reality, Sasuke was more than fine with Aoda. He was a handsome and unassuming horse. Very mellow and he didn't seem to mind putting up with a new rider, but the Uchiha was determined to ride Kurama at least once.

Just to prove that he could do it. Then maybe, Naruto would stop fussing over him. He knew that it shouldn't matter to him, but Sasuke cared what the blonde thought about him.

Sasuke nods. "Damn straight, I can." Uchihas could do anything they put their mind too!

"Judging by what Itachi told us about you and the Hozuki Brothers, shouldn't you be saying damn gay?" Naruto laughs.

Sasuke twitches. If he wasn't on top of a massive horse and currently slowly trotting over some bumpy fields, he probably would have smacked Naruto for that stupid comment.

Instead, the lawyer rolls his eyes playfully. "You're such an idiot." He really was, but in a way that reminded Sasuke of a puppy that chewed on your slippers.

It was difficult to stay mad at Naruto or the metaphorical puppy. After all, the puppy didn't know any better and it was cute. Though that's all this was going to be. More likely than not, he'd be out of here by the end of the week with Itachi.

"You city slickers and your sweet talking." Naruto rolls his eyes back at Sasuke as he heads off to get Kurama, once Sasuke had dismounted Aoda. "I'll be right back in a minute." And with that, the sapphire eyed brewery owner headed off.

Sasuke watches as Naruto leaves. "Yeah. Itachi was definitely right about the jeans." And he should probably figure out how to ride Kurama quickly and get out of here.

He was supposed to start working for Sharingan in the fall. He had a life waiting for him there. Sasuke really shouldn't get distracted by a stunning pair of blue eyes and a very nice ass.

* * *

Back in the house, Itachi's eyes narrow at his father. The way that Emiko Uchiha looked so apologetically at him told the Uchiha man all he needed to know. This hadn't bee her idea.

Not that he had ever suspected it was. Fugaku was more of a meddler than Mikoto. Well unless it came to her sons' love lives. She definitely liked to meddle there!

"Mother, father, to what do we owe this unexpected pleasure?" He really didn't want to make a scene in front of Gaara, but he would.

If he had to, Itachi was going to find a way to ensure that Fugaku Uchiha saw him as a man. He was no longer a child and neither was Sasuke! So their father was going to start treating them that way.

Mikoto rubs the back of her head sheepishly. "Your father was curious about Mangekyo Wines and we missed you." He didn't doubt that for a moment.

The Uchiha Matriarch was quite skilled at giving honest answers, without telling the full story in situations like these. It was an impressive skill, really. Still, Itachi didn't have time to ponder that too much. He had more important things to do.

"We've missed the both of you as well." That was true. "Though as you can see, Great Uncle Madara left us beautiful property and the neighbors are rather friendly." Something that Itachi didn't see too often in the big city.

Of course, he knew that was something of a stereotype. It was just that Itachi had never had neighbors before that wanted to socialize merely because they were neighbors. For the most part, the rich and famous tended to go their own separate ways and only converged with their neighbors, if it was required.

Naturally, everyone had friends. It was just proximity wasn't as big a deciding factor when you were in the city as it appeared to be out here. Hmm. He'd have to think about this more later. The differences between rural and urban life were fascinating!

Fugaku didn't seem particularly pleased to hear that. "Well that's good." Itachi knew why though.

The man was probably worried that he and Sasuke might keep the place. Itachi was certainly tempted, but he didn't know how his brother felt about it. He might be able to buy the other half off of the other Uchiha, if he asked though.

It was something worth considering. Opportunities like this didn't come around often. Itach knew that because he was an Economist and liked to consider himself a practical enough sort to realize such things.

"Yes, it is. Sasuke and I have been inspecting the property and our neighbors have been kind enough to show us around." He smiles serenely.

Mikoto looked half ready to step between them and that knowledge saddened the eldest Uchiha Brother, but he had to put his foot down. This was their decision, not his!

Mikoto tilts her head curiously. "Where is your brother?" She looks around. "I don't see him."

Right. Hmm. Should he be evil or nice? It was tempting to let Mikoto Uchiha engage in some meddling, but he wasn't feeling that cruel.

"He's out riding the horses. Gaara owns a horse ranch and Naruto, another of our neighbors, is trying to teach Sasuke." He chuckles at the memory of Aoda and the younger Uchiha. "It's most amusing, really."

Fugaku laughs. "Well he always did want a horse, I suppose." That was true.

Sasuke had been like every other kid. He wanted a pony. His foolish little brother had been heartbroken when he realized "Santa" was never going to give him one.

Horses just generally didn't do well in the city. Of course, it wasn't Sasuke's fault for not realizing it. He was just a child at the time. (Though Itachi wouldn't have said no to a horse himself at that age)!

"That's true." Mikoto smiles.

"Well I apologize that you came all this way for nothing." Itachi sighs as he notices Gaara peeking through the kitchen door. "We haven't come to any permanent decisions as to what we're going to do with Mangekyo Wines yet."

There was a slim chance, that he could get his parents out of here. Get them out of there before Sasuke saw them. His foolish little brother wouldn't react well, if he saw them. He'd feel like he was being babied.

"Oh we didn't come all this way for nothing." Fugaku smiles at him. "We are staying at a lovely hotel suite." Oh boy. "After all, your mother is always saying that I need a vacation."

Great. Why did Fugaku have to choose now to listen to the vacation advice?! Damn it!

* * *

Elsewhere Orochimaru sighs as he continues looking at the public records. So far, he hadn't seen anything that he couldn't have guessed. Still, he supposed the information might be moderately useful at some point.

"Definitely Uchihas." The businessman had heard of Sharingan before, of course. "Both marvelously gifted."

It was a titan in its industries. Fortunately, it wasn't involved in wine. So he had never considered it a threat or bothered to look beyond a few business articles written about it here and there.

Madara obviously had a falling out with his family, but Orochimaru wasn't an idiot. It took highly intelligent people to run something like Sharingan Corp and Mangekyo wines. So it didn't surprise him that the Uchiha Brothers had both graduated at the top of their respective classes. (Both in high school and university)!

The fact that they had both completed their University education early or what sports team they had been on, well that wasn't too useful. Though he did stumble upon one interesting footnote. Itachi Uchiha had just gotten out of a long-term relationship with another man and his brother also preferred men.

"Maybe, I should send someone in my stead." Hmm. It had promise.

He could send a couple of employees to make nice. Two people that the brothers would find attractive. Orochimaru just had to figure out who would work best.

"Well it's obvious that they don't share the same type." That made it easier.

It could get ridiculously complicated if both brothers took to the same person. He just needed someone to charm them into selling. They didn't even have to know it was to the Akatsuki.

He could give the money to his employees to buy Mangekyo Wines and then just "buy" it from them. It would all work out perfectly! There was absolutely no reason why his poorly timed call should stop the Akatsuki from taking over Mangekyo Wines!

* * *

About an hour later, Sasuke finishes riding around with Naruto. There was something pretty amazing about watching the blonde ride that Arabian Horse. Though he wasn't stupid. Itachi would probably be wondering where he was by now.

If he stayed away for too long, the idiot was likely to get **ideas** about him and Naruto. And if Itachi got ideas, he'd probably suggest something crazy. Like that they should keep the place.

Neither of them knew a damn thing about wine. Well other than how to drink it once in awhile. Madara had meant well, but leaving his business in the hands of two people who knew nothing about its industry…hadn't been the brightest idea.

"You ready to head back?" Naruto grins at him as they walk to his career and he holds the door open for Sasuke.

The bastard seemed a bit taken aback by this. Oh right. He probably shouldn't have done that for a guy. Women appreciated stuff like that. With guys it was more of a hit or miss thing.

Sasuke nods and gets in though. "As ready as I'll ever be." He sighs and buckles his seatbelt as Naruto gets in the car and does the same.

"Do you wanna keep the place?" Naruto dares himself to chance a look at Sasuke.

The other man shrugs. "I'm not really sure. I'd have to talk to Itachi about it. Madara gave us each half Mangekyo Wines." Oh. Right.

Maybe, he should see if Gaara could butter up Itachi. The red head seemed to be getting along with him pretty well.

Despite the fact that Sasuke appeared to want to strangle Itachi half the time, it was other than the other Uchiha looked up to him a great deal. If Itachi said he wanted to keep the place, Sasuke would probably go along with it. Well at least that was what Naruto was hoping as he drovet hem back to Madara's place.

It didn't take them more than a few minutes to get there. The blonde didn't see a point in knocking though because he knew that they were expected. So he quickly takes out the spare key Madara had given him, once they were on the doorstep and opens it.

"Sasuke, you alright?" Almost as soon as they were inside, Naruto noticed that Itachi was talking to two people that he had never seen before, but looked so familiar to him.

The reason why soon became apparent. "Mother, father, what are you doing here?" Sasuke was the first to speak.

Ohhh. So this was Itachi's and Sasuke's mother and father. Uchihas definitely had a _look_. The blonde couldn't put his finger on it exactly, but you could tell that they were all related just by looking at them.

"Oh we just missed the two of you and decided to drop in." Fugaku smiles at Sasuke.

Sasuke didn't seem to be buying it though. Which only made sense. Naruto had just met these people two seconds ago and even he wanted to call bullshit.

The younger Uchiha Brother glances at Itachi for confirmation. "Yes, that seems to be the case. They've also decided to take a vacation." Itachi sighs. "Booked themselves a lovely suite from the sound of things."

The sexy City Slicker looked positively horrified at that knowledge. Not that Naruto could blame him. Parents could definitely cramp people's style, but he wouldn't trade his own for the world.

He was sure that it same way for Sasuke and Itachi. "Well vacations are fun!" Deep, deep down. "Though I probably would have recommended Vegas." He grins, trying to lighten the mood.

"Vegas is quite exciting." Gaara chuckles as he saunters closer to his friend. "Though if one isn't careful, you really care lose your shirt." The red head smiles as he backs him up.

Itachi raises an eyebrow in amusement. "The two of you sound like you're speaking from personal experience." Well yeah.

He and Gaara had gone off to Vegas for spring break once. It had been totally awesome, but they had both come away totally broke. Still, good times. Good times!

"Maybe." Gaara blushes slightly. "Everyone has at least one or two entertaining incidents in their past."

Miikoto laughs at this and nods. "Yes, that's true. You should have seen us on our Honeymoon."

Now, that sounded interesting! It looked like Sasuke's mom didn't mind a dirty joke. Fugaku looked less than pleased at that admission though.

"Well we should probably be going or we'll get caught in traffic." He smiles at his sons. "We'll give you a call later and perhaps have dinner?"

Naruto doubted there was much of a perhaps involved, but whatever. It looked like they were going. That might be for the best. As much as he wanted to look through the family photo album for funny pictures of his bastard as a kid, the blonde wasn't completely naïve. This could get ugly and fast.

"Yes, perhaps." Itachi nods.

With that being said, Mikoto hugs and kisses her sons' cheeks before heading out the door. Fugaku gives a more respectable, somewhat stiff hug to each of the brothers and soon joins her.

"So I guess we already met your folks." Naruto grins. "This means you're totally serious about me now!"

Sasuke rolls his eyes. "You are such an idiot." Though the brewery owner didn't miss the quiet laugh in his voice.

That and it was hard not to notice that Itachi and Gaara were currently laughing their asses off. Well that was a good sign. Laughing meant someone was happy and happy people were more likely to stay at Mangekyo Wines. They were also more likely to be easily seduced and maybe engage in some dirty dancing, after a shot of vodka or two!


	6. Chapter 6

Something About Country Boys

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 6

Two days later and Sasuke was feeling rather proud of himself. He was riding Aoda without any help…at a gallop. That last part made him feel particularly smug, even Itachi seemed impressed.

"Well it looks like you've got the basics down." Gaara smiles as he sips his coffee.

The red head was standing next to Itachi. Suspiciously close to him, actually. Sasuke knew that Itachi apparently had a weak spot for men in blue jeans and Gaara certainly qualified, but was something actually going on or not?

More likely than not, they were in the weird limbo that he was stuck with Naruto in. It would be smart to get out of there and quickly. After all, he was just having a look before he decided what to do with the place.

Naruto grins in that stupid way that made Sasuke paradoxically want to smack and kiss him at the same time. "Yeah! The bastard is really getting the hang of it." He didn't think that people could get that excited about anything, until he met Naruto.

"Itachi is doing quite well on Yuki as well." Yuki was a white Thoroughbred that Gaara had apparently been teaching Itachi how to ride. "I've never seen two people who have taken to riding as quickly as the both of you have."

"Makes sense." Sasuke smirks. "Itachi has always acted like he's had a stick up his ass." He smirks more. "I guess it was really an icicle. So that makes a horse named after snow the perfect fit for our Ice Princess."

Itachi rolls his eyes and walks over to Sasuke. The younger Uchiha knew what was coming though. So he tries to back up, but it was in vain.

"Foolish little brother." Itachi pokes his forehead. "You're the one with the icicle stuck up their hindquarters. Not me." Damn it!

He hated when Itachi did that! Which was probably why he did it, Sasuke thinks to himself. That's why the idiot kept poking his forehead because he knew that the other man hated it!

He glares at Itachi. "I am not!" He wasn't the Ice Prince! Itachi was!

"We really got to start bringing popcorn to these shows, Gaara." Naruto laughs.

Sasuke didn't care though. Itachi had it coming to him! He really needed to stop embarrassing him in front of the hot blonde!

He mentally kicks himself for thinking that though. Sasuke should know better. The Uchiha would likely be back to the city in another week or two at most. It wasn't fair to start something with Naruto that he probably couldn't finish.

The red head nods in agreement. "Indeed. We do." He chuckles at the scene.

Well maybe. It might work. Some people were perfectly happy in long distance relationships. Sasuke had never thought that he'd be one of them though.

On second thought, scratch that. Naruto loved his brewery. He might be convinced to visit the city, but Sasuke doubted that he'd ever actually want to live there. And why was he thinking about these things?! It didn't matter!

"Yeah. We're definitely going to need to stock up on popcorn." Naruto laughs.

It was just hard not to get attached to Naruto. He was like sunshine given human form or something. He had yet to see the man get upset about anything. Though Sasuke had a feeling when he did, it was probably best to get the Hell out of the blonde's way!

Itachi smiles. "Well if nothing else, I think that our horseback riding skills have been improved tremendously." If nothing else, as in if they sold the place.

That thought shouldn't have upset him as much as it did. He needed to talk to his father and get his head on straight. Sasuke had responsibilities!

He had been promised a job at one of the most successful law and investment banking firms in the country! There were a lot of law school grads who would kill to be in his position. And more than that, Sasuke would be working with his family. What could be better than that?

"Have you two thought about what you're going to do with the place?" Gaara looks at Itachi.

 _Constantly._ Though neither of them had broached the subject much with each other. That didn't matter though. Sasuke knew that Itachi was thinking it over just as much as he was.

Itachi nods at the question. "A bit, but I don't think either of us has made a final decision just yet." And that was definitely the truth.

What could be better than working at Sharingan? Well a gorgeous blonde with eyes bluer than the sky who knew way too much about alcoholic beverages was starting to come to mind way too much. In the end, that was irrelevant though. Wasn't it?

Just because Naruto was cute and very flirtatious didn't mean anything. He had a good job waiting for him back home and Sasuke might finally be able to prove himself to his father. That was more important than what Naruto looked like in those blue jeans. (Amazing, by the way…but he digressed)!

* * *

Meanwhile Orochimaru smirks as he greets Suigetsu and Jugo. They were two employees of Akatsuki Inc. And in his mind, they were both absolutely perfect for what he had in mind.

"As you both know, we've been trying to acquire Mangekyo Wines for quite sometime." Orochimaru nods at them.

Suigetsu laughs and flashes his sharp teeth in response. "Yeah. Like forever, but Madara is never going to sell that place." That had been true, but his great nephews just might.

It was time to brief them. Orochimaru detested briefings, but they were a necessary evil. After all, it was hard for someone to do their job correctly, if they didn't know the full situation.

"True enough, but Madara passed on." The Akatsuki Member smirks. "He left his property to his Great Nephews. Neither of them knows a damn thing about winemaking."

Jugo blinks in surprise. "That's strange." He frowns. "Why would the man put his business in the hands of two people who knew nothing about the industry? I understand that they're family, but that's still quite the risk to take."

Orochimaru couldn't disagree with that. Personally, he thought Madara was crazy. Then again, that had always been his opinion of the other man. One that he didn't see changing anytime soon, but he had more important matters to attend to at the moment than private musings.

"I don't understand either, but we still want to buy Mangekyo. Unfortunately, I may have committed an error in judgment." He sighs as he places two folders in front of them. "One that will likely make that very difficult to do, but I believe the two of you can help us get back into their good graces."

Suigetsu grins in a way that had Orochimaru feeling moderately homicidal. "What'd you do to fuck it up?" How he hated that brat!

Honestly, he would have fired him a long time ago, if the idiot didn't get results. And like it or not, that's exactly what Akatsuki needed most. Well at least Jugo was a professional. Unlike his partner.

"I asked to buy the property too soon after Madara's death." He sighs dramatically. "Itachi and I got off on the wrong foot. It's all water under the bridge now though." He gestures to the files. "You'll find everything that you need in there."

Jugo flips through the files. "How long until after the funeral did you wait?" He frowns as he looks at Orochimaru. "Some people compose themselves faster than others. There are those who are mostly functional after a couple days and those who never get over it."

Orochimaru twitches. That was a fair point, but that was not what he wanted to be focused on. Oh well. He might as well get it over with.

"I called before the funeral." He shrugs. "The sooner you ask, the better your chances of asking before the competition does."

Suigetsu whistles, causing the Akatsuki businessman to twitch again. "You didn't even wait for the guy to be buried." He shakes his head. "Damn. That's ice cold, even by your reptilian standards."

Orochimaru was sincerely tempted to smack him. Of course, a cultured man like himself knew that violence was rarely the answer to anything. Though sometimes, it was very, very satisfying!

"That isn't the point." He sighs. "I want you to reason with these two. To charm them, if it's necessary."

Jugo raises an eyebrow. "You don't need to play coy." The gentle giant could be oblivious about the most obvious things sometimes or extremely perceptive. One never knew which side of Jugo they were about to deal with. "When you say charm, you mean seduce."

Suigetsu gives Orochimaru a dirty look. "I'm not that kind of employee." He stands up and stretches. "Pretty sure I could report you for suggesting this." Though he idly glances at the file and blinks.

Orochimaru smirks. If nothing else, Itachi and Sasuke were both very attractive men. And Suigetsu was a sucker for a pretty face as much as the next man of his persuasion.

"As you were saying, Mr. Hozuki?" Orochimaru chuckles.

Suigetsu blinks. "No way. Is that Sassy?" Sassy? Hmm. That was interesting. "It can't be." Very interesting.

The white haired man quickly takes hold of the file and begins looking through it. "Holy shit!" He pauses dramatically as if he couldn't believe it. "It really is him."

Jugo raises an eyebrow. "How do you know him?" Because it was very obvious that the Hozuki in question did know him.

Sugietsu grins. "Well we went to college together. We weren't dating, but there was that one party." Then he glares at Orochimaru. "I'll take the case. I mean Sasuke always was wound up way too uptight, but the guy doesn't deserve the grief of you stalking his ass."

Orochimaru rolls his eyes. He didn't care what Suigetsu's reasons were. All that mattered was getting his hands on that winery and vineyard!

"If Suigetsu is going, then I'll go." Jugo glances at the file. "I'm assuming that I'm taking Itachi then."

Suigetsu nods. "Yeah probably a good idea." He smirks. "He's actually a really good kisser and looks great in black leather, but he was one of those overachievers. More focused on the library than partying." Suigetsu shrugs. "Shame really."

Jugo shakes his head in amusement and for a second, Orochimaru almost felt sorry for Sasuke. Having an ex of sorts pop up out of the blue after the death of a relative, well that was pretty traumatic. It didn't matter though. The ends justified the means.

* * *

A few hours later, the Uchiha Brothers were making dinner while Gaara and Naruto were going over the quarterly reports for the winery. It seemed that Madara had taught them enough for them to run the place, if he got sick for a few days or weeks. Which was a bit of a relief frankly.

"I can't believe this." Sasuke shakes his head. "We're making dinner for them and they're not even our boyfriends."

Itachi chuckles. Well his foolish little brother did have a point. Gaara and Naruto weren't their lovers, but they wanted to be. And if things were different, the elder Uchiha Brother wouldn't have hesitated to take Gaara up on what he was subtly offering.

Unfortunately, things were complicated. Very complicated. Itachi truly didn't know what was going to happen.

He shakes his head. "Well they could be." The Economist glances at his brother warily. "And this place could be ours. It's merely for us to decide whether we want it or not."

There. He had said it. Now, the ball was firmly in Sasuke's court. It was out of Itachi's hands and at least this way, he would know.

Sasuke blinks. "You're not seriously considering staying, are you?" The scent of steak was distracting, but not distracting enough. "Itachi, we know nothing about winemaking!"

"That's true, but we do understand business and law." He smiles. "We also have employees and apparently Gaara and Naruto would be willing to help us." They could make it work.

The question was only whether or not, they wanted to. Madara had given them quite the precious gift. The gift of choice. Itachi was afraid of what they would end up choosing, but he cherished the gift, nonetheless.

Sasuke frowns as he checks on the steaks. "Well I guess we _could_ learn, but that's an _if_." True. His brother had always been more cautious than Itachi when it came to such things.

"It's an if, but what's the worst that could happen?" He tilts his head to the side. "Even if we both only sold our shares, we'd still be set for life." The older man pauses and adds. "And any families we had later on, would also be rather comfortable as well."

As far as he could tell, they couldn't **really** lose from a numbers perspective. Though he knew Sasuke wasn't necessarily thinking about the economic side of things. He was worried about their parents.

Sasuke seems to be considering it for a moment and glances towards the living room. "When you put it that way, it's pretty tempting." Uh huh. Itachi figured he had a pretty good idea what (or rather **who** ) was tempting Sasuke. "We can't though."

"Why not?" Itachi smiles at him. "He left us both half of the property and we're adults. Surely, someone would buy the place."

The younger Uchiha shakes his head. "No. I'm sure that someone would take it." This didn't sound promising. "But we would be moving here. Leaving mother and father behind. What about the family business?"

Itachi sighs. He knew that this was coming. "Sasuke, we aren't the only Uchihas. Father could always groom someone else." Sasuke definitely had a strong sense of duty. "At least promise me that you'll think about it." He pokes Sasuke's forehead.

Sasuke grumbles, but nods. "I'll think about it." He sighs. "It seems that's all I do these days."

* * *

In the living room, Naruto sighs as he glances at Gaara. "So what do you think our chances are?" He didn't even need to say what he meant.

He'd been friends with Gaara for so long, it was almost like the other man could read his mind. That and he wasn't the only person who was carrying a not so secret torch for an Uchiha Brother.

"With Itachi, I'd say it's about fifty-fifty for whether he stays or goes." That wasn't very helpful. "I think he wants to stay, but there are a lot of things waiting for him back in the city."

That was true. "What about Sasuke though?" He was probably going to be the harder sell.

Garaa looks down at the quarterly reports and Naruto inwardly groans. Great. His friend was hesitating to answer him. Gaara never freaking hesitated! This was bad.

"Charitably?" Gaara composes himself. "Thirty percent."

Naruto falls off the couch in shock. "You're kidding me!" That couldn't possibly be charitably! Maybe, conservatively. Not charitably though! "That's not being generous, Gaara!"

"It is compared to my conservative estimate, which I place closer to ten percent." The horse ranch owner shoots him a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry, but that's one skittish stallion that you've got your eyes on."

Naruto sighs and nods. Sasuke was definitely likely to bolt, but that was okay. He'd always loved a challenge.

"The food is done!" Itachi's voice is heard from the kitchen.

Gaara smiles and gestures for Naruto to follow him. "That's our cue." Indeed it was! Food was good.

* * *

A few minutes later, they were all eating. Steak. One of Gaara's favorites. There was really nothing that he didn't adore about Itachi at this point.

He was gorgeous, intelligent, highly educated, a deviant flirt, and he could cook! At this point, the red doubted that there was anymore he could ask for. Oh wait.

There was one thing. For him to stay. That was going to be tricky. "This is great." He bites into his steak as he ponders that matter.

Gaara hadn't been joking to Naruto when he told the other man that he gave it a fifty-fifty chance Itachi might leave. That's what scared him. His love life was about to be determined on a coin toss and there was absolutely nothing that he could do about that fact!

"I'm glad you like it." Itachi smiles back at him.

That smile really was going to be the death of him. At least that's what he thought until he felt something against his thigh. It was a hand!

It couldn't be Naruto's or Sasuke's. They were seated too far away! It had to be Itachi's!

Sasuke snorts in amusement. "It's good to see you eating something other than Ramen." Gaara couldn't help, but chuckle at that as he tries not to blush or choke on his food.

"Ramen is fantastic!" Of course, Naruto say that! "Have you ever actually tried it, you stuck up bastard?!"

Sasuke rolls his eyes. "Of course, I have." That was probably true. "Almost everyone has." Again true. "Though I don't see what's so special about it."

Uh oh. That was practically blasphemy to say in front of Naruto! Now, the blonde was probably never going to shut up! It was going to be a very, very long dinner!

* * *

Meanwhile at the hotel, Mikoto shakes her head at Fugaku. Her husband was being absolutely ridiculous. The man was pacing!

"We're having dinner with them tomorrow." She shakes her head again. "There's no need for you to panic yet and there is no need for you to do so at all."

Honestly, their sons had been left a winery and a vineyard. That was a good thing. She had been almost convinced that they would eventually sell it, but now Mikoto wasn't so sure.

The way that the neighbors were so close to them made her a little suspicious. Mikoto was deeply in love with her infuriatingly stubborn husband of course and to her, there was no more attractive than Fugaku. That didn't mean that she was blind though.

Gaara and Naruto were both very attractive. To her, it wasn't a mystery why their sons were staying at Mangekyo. It came with three gorgeous views: the scenery, Naruto, and Gaara.

"You can't tell me that you aren't nervous about this." Fugaku gives her an incredulous look.

Of course, she was nervous. Mikoto wasn't any more eager to see them move away than her husband was! That being said, they were both adults and it was their life. They shouldn't try to force them to make a decision.

She sighs in exasperation. "I'm nervous about it." She'd be lying, if she said otherwise. "Though I've accepted the fact that they're more than old enough to leave the nest."

Perhaps, it was time to let their baby birds flying. If that meant they wanted to head to the countryside, well there were worse things than that. Besides, with modern technology, they could keep in touch with them everyday. And they could always visit.

"Then how are you coping with this so well?" He glances at her.

She sighs and heads to the bathroom. "Because I've accepted the fact that their both adults, Fugaku. Our children are leaving the nest." Mikoto smiles back at him slyly. "And that's not necessarily, **all** bad."

There were some benefits to being "empty-nesters." More privacy for one. While they didn't live in the same house as Sasuke and Itachi anymore, the children often visited them without any warning and the reverse was true.

That meant more than once, there had very nearly been some extremely awkward moments. Mikoto wasn't sure who would have been more embarrassed. Them or the children.

She laughs softly as she notices Fugaku's smirk. "I suppose you're right." He was a smart man and knew what a nice bubble bath likely meant.

That was one of the benefits of marrying such an intelligent man. Of course, there were times when she was very tempted to strangle him. But then there would be moments like this and she would forget all of her ire.

"Are you going to join me?" She smiles at him coyly as she turns on the water and pours in the bubble bath.

He nods energetically as he walks into the bathroom. "Always, My Love." He smirks as he shuts the door behind them. "Always."

* * *

Elsewhere, Jugo and Suigetsu were heading off towards Mangekyo Wines. Jugo couldn't believe that they were actually doing this.

"So you knew this Sasuke in college?" He pauses. "Did you know his brother?"

Sasuke's brother. Itachi Uchiha. The man that Jugo was supposed to charm into selling his half of Mangekyo Wines to the Akatsuki.

It would be to his benefit to learn more about the other man. That would make his task much easier. It wasn't one that Jugo was looking forward to. He hated deceiving people.

Though he tried to tell himself that lying might not be necessary. "Yeah. I didn't really know his brother. I mean Itachi came to a couple parties, but I was more interested in dirty dancing with Sassy." Righttt.

"Good to know." He sighs and shakes his head.

Jugo doubted that Suigetsu was in love with this "Sassy," but it was obvious that he had been highly attracted to him at one point. Not that Jugo could blame him. He had seen Itachi's picture. If Sasuke looked anything like his older brother, well the brothers could both go into modeling together.

"Don't worry so much." Suigetsu grins at him. "This will be the easiest money that we've ever made." He pauses thoughtfully. "And in the long run, we're doing them a favor."

Jugo raises an eyebrow. He was almost afraid to ask, but he would anyway. "And what favor is that?" Curiosity could be such a hash mistress sometimes.

"We're going to convince them to sell, so Orochimaru won't stalk them." Suigetsu shudders. "That guy is hella creepy." Well Jugo certainly couldn't argue with that because Orochimaru was very creepy.

He chuckles and continues driving. "When you put it that way, I feel less guilty." Really, they were doing the brothers a favor.

If they sold Mangekyo Wines, the Akatsuki would leave them alone. The alternative was far less pleasant though. If they didn't, well Jugo wouldn't want to be in their shoes when things really started getting crazy! Because nobody did crazy better than the Akatsuki!


	7. Chapter 7

Something About Country Boys

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. This is definitely my most popular Yaoi story at the moment. You guys are awesome. Anyway, I hope that you all enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 7

Gaara had been enjoying a perfectly lovely steak dinner and debating about how he was going to respond to Itachi's advances, when the doorbell rang. Whoever it was had better be Santa, Leprechaun, or a Unicorn! Because those were basically the only people he could forgive for interrupting his moment with Itachi!

"I'll get it." Sasuke smiles as he gets up and heads off to do so.

Well at least Itachi hadn't removed his hand yet. Gaara considered that a good sign really. Maybe, he could talk Itachi into staying, after all! That fifty percent was starting to look more like a sixty or seventy!

He glances out of the kitchen and sees Sasuke open the door. The younger Uchiha looked absolutely gobsmacked about something. Apparently, their visitors. For some reason, Sasuke looked like he had seen a ghost.

"Suigetsu?!" He blinks three times at the two men standing in the doorway.

One had hair white as snow and exotic lavender eyes. He was grinning at Sasuke. "Hey, Sassy! Long time!" With his very sharp teeth.

The other was well a giant. Gaara had seen tall people before, but this guy had to be over seven feet tall. With his own hair and exotic colored eyes, well he stood out just as much as his friend.

"Y-Yeah. A couple of years." Sasuke tilts his head in confusion. "What are you doing here and whose this?"

They were both exotic and attractive in an unusual way and Gaara could see that Naruto was already twitching. The nickname and the way Suigetsu's eyes were roaming all over Sasuke spoke volumes. This was either a former flame, a current lover, or someone who wanted to be.

The giant smiles. "I'm Jugo." He looks at Sasuke sheepishly. "I'm really sorry about this, but when Suigetsu heard that you were in town he wanted to stop in and see you."

Suigetsu nods and laughs. "Jugo was pretty sure you'd throw me out on my ass." He shrugs as though that was a normal thing for Jugo to say. "But I told him that you could be uptight, but you were never mean like that."

Oh boy. This wasn't going to end well. Gaara could practically feel the jealousy radiating off Naruto in waves.

"Well I wouldn't, but we kinda have company now." Smart Uchiha. "So you know, maybe next time you could call." He was trying to avoid a bloodbath. "You can just call Mankgeyo Wines and ask them to transfer you to Sasuke Uchiha. We're listed." Sasuke nods.

Oh that was a big mistake. Gaara winces as he sees Naruto heading over and sighs. "I should have brought something over for us to drink. This is going to be vicious." He glances at Itachi.

"Well hopefully, it won't actually come to blows." Itachi nods at him in understanding. "Though we should probably be ready, just in case."

Whispering. That's what he and Itachi were doing now. Neither of them wanted to be overheard by the others. It made Gaara feel like they were more of unit now. Yeah. He was bumping his chances up to 70% for sure!

Suigetsu was actually pouting. "Alright, but it's a bit of a shame. The more the merrier, right?" Yeah. This was about to get ugly.

That did it! Naruto could swear he was seeing red as he walks over to Sasuke and the people at the door. This Suigetsu guy was really getting on his nerves. He was coming on way too strong.

"Sorry, we're kinda busy." Sasuke would probably kill him for this later, but he'd deal with it. "We're having dinner and looking over some of the quarterly reports for Mangekyo." With that thought in mind, he wraps his arm around Sasuke's waist.

Suigetsu apparently, wasn't completely stupid. His eyes narrow a bit. The violet eyed man obviously recognized when a claim was being staked so to speak.

Jugo smiles, trying to defuse the situation. "Oh I see." He looks at Suigetsu. "Come on, Suigetsu." He smiles more. "They're obviously a little busy at the moment and we can call them later to set up are more convenient time to visit."

Naruto knew a convenient time for them to visit! How about never?! That sounded really good.

Well actually, that wasn't fair. Jugo seemed okay, but there was no way the blonde was letting Suigetsu get within a mile of Sasuke! And he was just going to ignore the fact that Sasuke was currently glaring daggers at him!

"Yeah. Alright." Suigetsu smiles at Sasuke. "Sorry. Didn't realize that you had someone, but we should hang out sometime. Catch up on old times." He glances around. "All of this has to be a bit overwhelming."

"This won't end well." Naruto vaguely hears Itachi's voice.

No doubt, he was whispering to Gaara. Those two were definitely a lot closer to being official than he was with Sasuke. Honestly, he felt a little jealous of that, but he was happy for his friend!

"Don't worry about him!" Naruto grins at him, his hands still on Sasuke's waist. "We've got this covered. I'll take **good** care of him."

He could practically feel Sasuke glaring daggers at him, but he'd take it. Whatever worked. Suigetsu seriously needed to go.

Jugo smiles. "Well that's good to know." He starts dragging Suigetsu off. "We'll call you all later." And with that, Naruto glares at their retreating backs as they make their way down the driveway until they were on the road!

As soon as they were gone, Sasuke yanks Naruto's hand away from him and glares. "What the flying fuck was **that**?!" Oh yeah. This was going to be brutal.

Itachi sighs and walks out to the living room with Gaara. "Sasuke, calm yourself." He glances at Naruto. "I know that his possessive behavior was rather presumptuous, but did you really want to deal with Suigetsu's advances?"

He wasn't being possessive! Naruto was just acting like any other guy would in his position! Sheesh!

That white haired freak was looking Sasuke up and down like a starving dog would a juicy piece of meat! Of course, he was going to react! He was only human!

"He was totally hitting on you." Naruto crosses his arms as if that explained everything.

Sasuke twitches. "Yes, he was." He was bristling like an angry housecat. "So what?! We aren't dating!" He glares at Naruto. "So stop acting like a jealous boyfriend!"

Gaara and Itachi blink. "We're just going to…go check on the horses." The red head starts dragging Itachi off. "We'll be back soon."

"Right! Cya!" Naruto was pretty damn sure what they were really doing was evacuating before the volcanic eruption known as Sasuke's temper fully hit, but whatever. "Make sure to check Kurama's hooves by the way!"

Sasuke looks over his shoulder at them. "Yeah. That's probably a good idea." Yeah. He couldn't really blame them for bulking. He half wanted to bulk too!

* * *

As soon as they were gone, it looked like Sasuke was actually start an all out brawl with Naruto, but grabbed his hands just to be on the safe side. "I know that you're right." He was standing behind Sasuke with arms wrapped around the other man and the Uchiha's hands restrained by his own.

"Good. So you're going to do the smart thing and get your hands off me right fucking now." Sasuke glares at him. "I'm a black belt in karate. I can just kick you in the nuts instead, if you're harboring the delusion that I can't still kick your ass like this!"

Naruto seriously couldn't help, but wonder if he might be a bit of a masochist. Clearly, Gaara had chosen the more mellow Uchiha Brother. And for some reason, Sasuke's hissing was kinda turning him on.

"Yeah, I get it." He lets go of Sasuke's hands. "You're a badass, but I don't want to fight." Naruto sighs and looks at him. "I just got jealous and yeah, I acted kinda like an ass." He sighs again. "I'm sorry."

Sasuke blinks. Whatever he had been expecting, that wasn't it. It would have been a lot easier, if Naruto had tried to throw his weight around. If the brewery owner had acted like a dick, it might have been easier not to like him.

So naturally, Naruto just had to go and be all _reasonable_! It was stunning really. Of all the times for the sapphire eyed cowboy to suddenly be logical, this was the wrong time.

He shakes his head. "Naruto, I'm probably going back to the city soon." It was kinder not to lead the blonde on. At least not, anymore than he already had. "I don't want to start anything that I can't finish and if my boyfriend had pulled that stunt, I would have kicked his ass. Just so you know."

"I know and I would have deserved it." Naruto turns Sasuke around so they were face to face. "But you said probably." The blonde caresses his cheek. "Not definitely."

He had. That was a mistake, Sasuke realized. That gave Naruto some wiggle room. It gave him false hope.

"I should have said, I'm **definitely** going back!" He needed to be firm.

Naruto brushes his thumb against Sasuke's lip. "You sure about that?" The bastard was also leaning closer.

Sasuke hated himself for it, but his breath hitched and he leans closer. "Yeah. I'm s-sure." It felt good to be touched like that and Naruto's blue eyes were exerting some sort of weird gravitational pull on him.

"You stuttered." Naruto grins. "You don't sound too sure to me."

He was damn sure! "I am. I'm going back and starting work at Sharingan in the Fall." And he was too.

Naruto sighs and shakes his head. Though he never broke eye contract. Damn those beautiful blue eyes!

"Well maybe, you'll change your mind." He brushes his lips against Sasuke's once." Just think about it." And a second time. "This place is beautiful and it's very profitable." A third time. "It's a lot more fun than sitting behind a desk all day. You could learn how to ride Kurama."

It wasn't even a real kiss yet, but Sasuke found his resolve weakening. "That's true, but my family needs me and it's a great job." He nods. "It's a certainty and well I'm sure Kurama will get over it."

He needed to be logical. What Sasuke should do is he should put some physical distance between Naruto. So the idiot couldn't overwhelm him with his pheromones or whatever the Hell he was doing to Sasuke!

"I'm sure it is, but they're a major company." Naruto nods. "They can always hire someone else and Kurama's not the only one who would be disappointed that you didn't ride him." And with that, Naruto kissed Sasuke and that's when Sasuke's brain decided to take a short holiday. It was definitely shutting down.

* * *

Elsewhere Gaara brushes one of the horses manes and smiles nervously at Itachi. "How long do you think they'll be at it?" To that, Itachi could only shrug.

"I have no idea." He smiles at the sexy red head. "But knowing my brother's temper, I think it's safe to say they may be at it for awhile."

Which was fine with him. He needed time to talk to Gaara. It was rare that Itachi was at a loss for words, but he couldn't lie. That was the case in this situation.

The ranch owner nods his head in understanding. "They're just what happens what an unstoppable force meets an immovable object." He laughs and well, Itachi felt his own lips twitching upwards in amusement at that assessment.

"Yes, about that." Itachi mentally braces himself. "I've been thinking about Mangekyo and well, you." A lot. Far more than he was ever going to admit to without making a fool out of himself.

Gaara looks at him. It was amazing how the red head could look both so stoic and hopeful at the same time. Those eyes really were something.

"Would that be in a positive or a negative way?" He raises an eyebrow, trying to act casual.

Itachi saw it for what it was though. An act. Gaara very much cared what he was about to say. So he had better say it properly.

Itachi smiles at him. "In a very positive way." There. That wasn't too gushy or too cold.

Gaara smiles at him. "Good. I feel the same way about you." He pauses for a moment, before deciding to elaborate. "I have ever since I saw you pull up that driveway and get out of that car."

"Good." Itachi knew what he was about to do was very foolish, but he supposed it ran in the family to a certain extent. "I think that I'll keep my share of Mangekyo and buy Sasuke's, if he has no interest in it." Sasuke was certainly foolish and it was implied Madara was as well. So why couldn't he indulge in such whims, now and then?

Gaara blinks. Itachi could only smile. The red looked so truly shocked. It was like he was the child that had been told he was going to get that puppy for Christmas after all.

He tilts his head confusion. "You're sure about this?" Gaara pauses and Itachi could see that he was going to play the martyr. "I know that you have a life back in the city. A good job and a family." That was true.

Itachi smiles and kisses Gaara. "That's all accurate, but what's life without a little risk?" He couldn't just crunch numbers and do nothing else his working life to please his father.

He liked crunching numbers well enough, but it got boring if that's all he was doing. Fugaku would just have to learn to accept his decision. At least, Itachi hoped that he would. Eventually.

Itachi loved Fugaku, but the man was so stubborn. In his own way, the eldest Uchiha Brother was certain that the businessman thought he was doing his children a favor. He was teaching them how to be successful, but what he was doing in reality was smothering them.

"That's a very good point." Gaara smiles at him as he kisses Itachi.

The red head could definitely kiss too. Now, he understood the stereotype about feisty red heads. Gaara definitely lived up to it in his own way.

He tasted like strawberries, Itachi decides as he kisses back eagerly. Eager to explore more of the other man's mouth. Perhaps, he had had some strawberry wine earlier or it was just his natural taste.

Itachi smirks in to the kiss as he glides his tongue against Gaara's seductively. "Yes, I thought so as well." Either way, he didn't care.

Gaara was Gaara and right now, well he was Itachi's. So much so that the elder Uchiha Brother didn't mind when the ranch owner grabbed his ass. Actually, he was a bit surprised by the sexy display of aggression, but he rather liked it.

"You keep that up and I'm going to be tempted to go for a roll in the hay with you." Gaara smirks, after breaking the kiss.

Itachi smirks back. "Well that is rather tempting, but we should probably make sure that my foolish little brother hasn't killed your foolish friend." Just to be on the safe side.

Gaara nods. He was smart enough to realize that Itachi didn't think it'd be smart to go for a roll in the hay just yet. He probably should at least go out on a couple formal dates with Gaara first. He didn't want to make it **too** easy for the other man. What kind of example would that set for his Sasuke, after all?

"You're right." Gaara smiles as he finishes brushing the horse. "Let's go. Hopefully, we won't have to arrange anyone's funeral."

Itachi couldn't help chuckling about that as they soon headed back to the house. Sadly, he was almost certain that he was going to find a destroyed living room or something of that nature when he got there.

He turns the steering wheel a bit as they drive off and chuckles once more at that thought. This was Naruto and Sasuke. An unstoppable force and an immovable object as Gaara had said earlier. That meant there were bound to be a lot of fireworks and well, a black eye or two wasn't completely out of the question!

With that thought in mind, he quickly drives home and gets out of the car with Gaara. "It's strange, you know?" He smiles at him. "I've already started to think of this place as home."

He hadn't even been here a month and already, it was more of a home to Itachi than his luxury apartment back in the city had ever been. It was strange, but a good type of strange.

"Good. I'm glad you think that." Gaara smiles as they walk up the driveway and he opens the door for him. "After you."

Itachi smiles and chuckles. "Such a gentleman." His amusement soon flew out the window when he stumbled up on the sight of his brother making out with the bombshell blonde.

Very vigorously. Itachi saw more than a little tongue and Naruto's hands were starting to wander. Like Gaara, he certainly wasn't shy about taking what he wanted, once he got started.

Sasuke snapped out of it first. "I'm sorry." He looks at Naruto in horror.

Probably because his foolish little brother knew he had just crossed a line. He hadn't actually returned Naruto's affections officially before. Now, if he left…well he was going to leave after starting something. No matter how brief that something was.

"Don't be sorry for kissing me." Naruto grins at him. "Just be sorry that you stopped."

Sasuke looks at Itachi helplessly and Itachi sighs. "Naruto, I think my foolish little brother needs some time." He shakes his head. "He has a difficult decision to make and seducing him, well that's not entirely fair."

"I was NOT being seduced." Sasuke glares at him and Itachi rolls his eyes. "Anyway, I'm going to go see how mother and father are doing. I'll see you guys later." And with that, Sasuke darts off like a bat out of Hell.

"Sasuke, wait!" It was too late though.

Sasuke was already gone. His brother really was foolish. Itachi could scarcely imagine why he was putting himself through so much unnecessary agony.

He shakes his head again. "Naruto, just give him a little more time." HIs brother would come to his senses. Eventually.

* * *

Back at the Akatsuki, Orochimaru texts Jugo and Suigetsu. The Sun was going down. That meant that they would know if they had been successful or not. If they had been successful, well he imagined that they would still both at Mangekyo Wines. If not, well he didn't want to think about that too much.

 _ **How did it go with the brothers? ~ Orochimaru.**_

It was probably best to as general as possible. That way, it would be less likely to bite him in the ass later. Orochimaru knew how these things worked. He had been around the block more times than he cared to admit. (And at well over fifty, he had far more birthday candles on his cake than he would like)!

 _ **Hey, Dumbass! The gentle giant is driving, so I'm the one texting. You didn't mention that Sassy already had a boyfriend. You damn prick! ~ Suigetsu.**_

Orochimaru's eyes narrow at the man's less than respectful nickname for him. Oh, how he hated Suigetsu. He'd like to ring his disrespectful neck!

He didn't care that the phrase disrespectful neck made no sense. The Akatsuki businessman was a trendsetter and could make up whatever phrases he liked! Because an Akatsuki could do whatever the Hell they wanted!

 **There is nothing in his records that indicates he has a boyfriend! ~ Orochimaru.**

That was true. He wouldn't have bothered sending someone to seduce Sasuke if that was the case. The boy didn't strike him as the type to stray and even if he could be tempted, it would take too long.

 _ **Someone's slacking when it comes to record finding then because he's got a possessive blonde boyfriend who looked at me, like he wanted to fucking kill me for even talking to him! ~ Suigetsu.**_

Hmm. That was interesting. Trouble in paradise. A blonde boyfriend. Could that be Naruto?

 **What did the blonde look like? Did he have blue eyes? ~ Orochimaru.**

There was a pause. The Akatsuki businessman could only assume that it was Suigetsu trying to remember whether or not Sasuke's boyfriend did indeed have blue eyes. Usually the brat didn't pause about anything.

Suigetsu was extremely reckless and impulsive. He knew that was a bit redundant, but in the water lover's case one really had to use both. He was that much of a daredevil.

 _ **Yeah. He's got blue eyes. Tan. Whisker markings on his cheeks. Which sounds weird, but I guess it's kinda cute. You know, if you're into that whole fuzzy animal thing. Jugo is driving us back to your office. We'll be there in about fifteen minutes. ~ Suigetsu.**_

That was definitely Naruto then. Orochiamru was rather irritated at that knowledge. It was as if Madara was trying to ruin his plans from beyond the grave.

Orochimaru was very much familiar with how close Naruto and a red head named Gaara were with the old codger! Was it possible that Madara had planned ahead. That he had told Naruto (and possibly Gaara) to cozy up with his grandsons to make them stay?

"Would he really go to such lengths though?" It sounded more like an Akatsuki Move than a Madara Move.

 **What about Itachi? ~ Orochimaru.**

Another pause. That probably wasn't a good sign. Though that might be because they were driving. Even if Jugo was the driver, Suigetsu might be giving him directions or something.

 _ **Jugo didn't really get a chance to meet Itachi. Sassy get us the brushoff and his little boyfriend basically chased us off. At least for Sasuke, I'm gonna have to try the Friend Route. I don't know about Jugo and Itachi though. ~ Suigetsu.**_

Orochimaru frowns upon reading that text. It was disappointing to say the least. Seduction Tactics rarely failed, but Friendship Tactics had a more mixed track record when it came to results.

 **Very well. Don't let me down. You know what happens to those that let me down. ~ Orochimaru.**

 _ **Yeah! Yeah! Save your threats for someone who cares. Be there in five minutes. Shutting the phone off now. Bye bye ;) ~ Suigetsu.**_

Orochimaru twitches. That damn Hozuki! He really should have hired Mangetsu instead. The elder Hozuki was far more polite! Unfortunately, he was also much more of a straight and narrow citizen than his brother.

"Trade offs." He rolls his eyes at the thought as he waits for Jugo and Suigetsu to arrive while trying to figure out how he wasn't going to strangle that uppity brat!


	8. Chapter 8

Something About Country Boys

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. I hope that you all like this chapter.

 **Chapter Notation:** A lot of people have wanted Sasuke to be stubborn and suggested a certain storyline. I decided to grant this request. So for Sasuke x Naruto fans it's going to be a bumpy ride. Then again, since when has anything ever been easy with those two?

Chapter 8

 _Oh boy!_ That had to be the third or fourth shot of vodka that Gaara had seen his friend drink. Sasuke had bolted about two hours ago and the blonde was drinking himself silly.

"You're lucky that you live here." He shakes his head. "Because you'd be in absolutely no condition to drive otherwise."

He had never seen his friend like this. The ranch owner had no idea how things could go from being so perfect to so _not_ in such a short period of time. One moment, he had been kissing Itachi and the next, his best friend was in serious danger of having his heartbroken.

"Not funny, Gaara." Naruto gives him a dirty look as he knocks back another shot at his home. "I mean he was kissing me and then he just ran off like that!" Yeah. That usually wasn't a good sign.

On one hand, Gaara was a rational person. It wasn't rational to get attached to someone that quickly and for that reason, the red head was extremely worried about Naruto. On the other hand, he was being a hypocrite. If their positions were reversed, he'd be doing the same thing that Naruto was.

He sighs and shakes his head. "Sasuke just has a lot on his mind." Frankly, Gaara was shocked that Itachi was just willing to give up everything he had back in the city on a dime.

It wouldn't be fair to expect two miracles. Though he did feel a bit guilty. Gaara still had a good chance with Itachi, he was upgrading them to about an eighty or eighty-five percent chance now. And Naruto, well his chances had plummeted even further.

"Yeah I know." Naruto knocks back another shot of vodka. "He's got a job waiting for him back home and doesn't want to disappoint his dad." Good. Well at least the blonde understood the delicate position that the younger Uchiha was in.

Sadly, Gaara had downgraded Sasuke to a ten or fifteen percent change of staying. And those were the charitable numbers! The conservative number was around three or five percent!

The red head nods sympathetically. "I've seen the way he looks at you." He pauses for a moment to collect his thoughts. "Naruto, the man is crazy about you. That's obvious." Gaara shrugs. "I'm just lucky that Itachi is a bit older is all."

"What the Hell does **that** mean?!" Uh oh.

He'd phrased that poorly. Now, his friend that that Gaara was insulting his crush. This wouldn't end well. He needed to clarify and quickly. He didn't want to engage in a barroom brawl in Naruto's own freaking house!

So the ranch owner sighs and puts up his hands in an unmistakable gesture of surrender. "I just mean that Itachi's outgrown the phase where he'll do anything to please his father."

It wasn't an insult. Gaara liked Sasuke. He was a good counterbalance for his friend in a lot of ways, but the businessman obviously also had a strong sense of duty to his family.

That meant to his parents. Not to Madara. Like it or not, Madara had been a stranger. Sasuke would feel more obligated to help his father than some great uncle he had never met! Facts were facts!

"Yeah." Naruto sighs heavily. "That's true." He glances at Gaara warily. "What should I do?"

That was hard to say really. If he did nothing, he risked the Uchiha running off. If he did something, Sasuke might feel cornered and run off anyway.

"Maybe, you should talk to Itachi about this." After all, who would know the Uchiha better than his brother? "He knows your flighty stallion better than we do."

That seems to do the trick. Almost like magic, Naruto got up and grins. "That's a great idea!" And with that, he darts off as if he was cheetah chasing after a gazelle!

Gaara blinks as he watches his friend scoot off. He could only hope that somehow this would work out. If not, well Naruto was going to be devastated.

* * *

Meanwhile Sasuke was out with his father. He needed to get the Hell away from the hot, possessive blonde and clear his head. His father would know what to do about this unusual situation. Sasuke just knew it.

"You seem rather troubled." Fugaku looks at him in concern as the two of them head into a restaurant to get some food. "What's wrong?"

Sasuke sighs. He didn't even know where to begin. His father was probably going to laugh his ass off at him.

Taking a moment to collect his thoughts and sit down at their table, the younger Uchiha glances at the proud Uchiha Patriarch and sighs. "It's not wrong exactly." It should be the opposite, but it wasn't.

Fugaku raises an eyebrow as he joins Sasuke. "Well then what is it?" Right.

The businessman really hated beating around the bush. Not that Sasuke could blame him. He was the same way. It would be hypocritical to hold that trait against his father.

"It's about Mangekyo Wines." Sasuke glances at the menu to give him an excuse not to look his father in the eyes. "It's a beautiful property and a successful business." He pauses. "I'm a bit reluctant to write it off so easily."

The Uchiha Patriarch pauses and shakes his head. "Well I know that Madara did quite well for himself. Unfortunately, you know nothing about winemaking Sasuke." He orders some salmon along with his son and then continues. "Wouldn't it be better just to sell it?"

His father was right about that. Sasuke knew a little about wine, but only as a casual consumer. Mangekyo Wines was successful because that's what Madara had focused on for most of his life. Sasuke had studied law.

It was a practical choice. There would always be at least some demand for lawyers and he had a job waiting for him. Not to mention, Sasuke had always enjoyed the mock trials they held in law school. He loved trying to figure out how to outsmart the other lawyer.

"It might be, but I don't know if Itachi feels that way." The way that Itachi was looking at Gaara said it all. "He's fond of Gaara." Really, really fond of Gaara. "And I don't think he really likes being an Economist that much."

Fugaku sighs and shakes his head. "I'm not entirely certain how much of that has to do with the occupation." Sasuke had never seen his father look guilty before, but he did. "I think that he wants to stretch his wings. He doesn't care for working underneath his father on principle, I suspect."

That was true. Though it shocked Sasuke that his father had realized it. Sadly, he was at a loss for what he could say to that. He didn't want to hurt Fugaku's feelings and he didn't want to lie.

"It's just Itachi's old enough now, that he could literally be someone's father." Sasuke sips his wine, that the waitress had just come back with. "It's nothing personal. I just don't think he likes being bossed around much."

Fugaku shrugs and the younger Uchiha could tell that he was thinking it over. "True enough, I suspect." The businessman gives him a pointed look. "I doubt that Itachi is the only one who has a weakness for country boys though."

Sasuke starts choking on his wine at that point. What?! That might be true, but he had never expected his **father** to say such a thing!

"I'm not really sure I feel comfortable talking about that aspect of Mangekyo." Naruto might not officially work there, but to Sasuke he was just part of the place. "I mean he's not an employee. So he doesn't factor into the decision."

His father bites into his salmon and gives him a dirty look. "Sasuke, I know that romantic relationships are a bit different for you and Itachi than they were for me." That was an understatement. "For obvious reasons, such as you prefer men and it's a different era." Yeah. "But I'm not blind."

Sasuke looks at Fugaku in confusion. "All of that made sense, until that last part." He was lucky that his parents had been so accepting of the fact that he and Itachi just weren't interested in women. Well at least not romantically.

"Itachi might have called me and tried to stop me from meddling." The businessman takes a sip of his own wine. "Said that you were crazy about the boy that lived next store or something like that." Fugaku shakes his head. "To hear Itachi tell it, you're about ready to walk down the aisle or something equally ridiculous."

Sasuke snorts. Walk down the aisle? Why was he the "bride" in this scenario?!

As annoying as that was, the young lawyer decides it was better to focus on the essence of what his father was saying. "I'm not ready to elope with Naruto, if that's what you're worried about." The details weren't as important as the bigger picture.

"I'm glad to hear that." Fugaku shakes his head in amusement. "It's normal to get infatuations from time to time, especially at your age." He shrugs and pauses as he considers the best way to phrase this. "That doesn't mean that you have to completely change your life every time you meet someone that you like though."

He didn't know why, but Sasuke twitches. He didn't think of whatever he had for Naruto was an infatuation. Which was part of the problem.

Uchihas weren't really wired for flings, but Sasuke knew the difference between an animal attraction and more. "It's not an infatuation, but you're right."

He didn't know the first thing about winemaking and there was really no need to rearrange his entire life. Just because Naruto was hot and a good kisser, didn't mean that Sasuke was going to give upon his dream that easily. He'd just tell Itachi he wanted to sell his share.

"I'll talk to Itachi about it." Sasuke sighs heavily. "He owns half the company." It was only proper to give Itachi first dibs.

Fugaku nods approvingly. "That would probably be a wise idea." Yeah.

Itachi probably wasn't going to be happy with him, but Sasuke needed to bow out before he did something stupid. Something stupid like giving into Naruto's big blue eyes or kissing the idiot again.

* * *

Elsewhere Itachi sighs as he was out shopping for groceries. Maybe, some tomatoes would make his foolish little brother feel better. Honestly, he didn't see why everything had to be so difficult.

Sasuke liked Naruto and Naruto **clearly** liked him. He was about half ready to just lock them in a room together and let nature take its course. While they were busy sorting out their issues, he could sneak off with Gaara for a roll in the hay.

Well perhaps not a roll in the hay. It was too early for such things and Itachi should probably at least try to be more romantic than that. He wasn't some frisky college student, after all.

Itachi Uchiha was a world famous economist and a grown man. He was in his mid-twenties and honestly, should be thinking about settling down. Maybe, with Gaara.

Realistically though, he knew that was going to be easier said than done. Sasuke and Fugaku would likely be outraged, if he tried to leave Sharingan. His mother would be supportive though. Thrilled even.

As much as he knew that Sasuke would support him in his romantic endeavors, Itachi wasn't oblivious. "He's got a strong sense of loyalty to our family and the company." His foolish little brother was going to throw one Hell of a fit, when he found out. "And while that's admirable, he needs to start showing some loyalty to himself." Itachi throws some tomatoes into the cart.

That's when he bumps into someone. "Sorry!" Definitely a man. A really, really big man. "I didn't see you there." One with a kind voice and who sounded genuinely apologetic.

"It's alright." Itachi smiles and shrugs. "The fault was my own. I was lost in my own world." That's when he made the mistake of looking up.

This giant was Jugo. Suigetsu's friend. Hmm. Did that man that the white haired man was around? Hopefully not.

Suigetsu was most amusing and might have been a good match for Sasuke once upon a time, but his little brother had enough on his plate now. Besides, Itachi was not so secretly rooting for Naruto.

Jugo smiles at him reassuringly. "It's alright. We all get that way sometimes." Indeed they did. "You're Itachi, right?"

He nods. "Yes, I am. I'm sorry." The other man shakes his head. "I'm afraid that I still have a lot of shopping to do."

That was true, but mostly he didn't want to get in the middle of this. Jugo might be trying to befriend Itachi, so that Itachi would put in a good word for Suigetsu with Sasuke and well, that just wasn't going to happen.

"That's alright." The gentle giant shakes his head. "I'm sorry about the ambush earlier." He sounded sincere, Itachi decides. "You know how Suigetsu can be, but he means well."

He probably did. It wasn't Suigetsu's fault that he had waited too long to rekindle an old flame. Of course, that was assuming that such a thing had even been the violet eyed man's intention the first place.

"I know." Itachi smiles. "Well I have to get going. I'm having dinner with my boyfriend tonight."

It hadn't completely escaped the eldest Uchiha Brother's notice, that it looked like Jugo might be checking him out. Maybe, a month or so ago, Itachi might have been interested. Jugo seemed nice and he was attractive, but now he had Gaara.

The gorgeous red head who really knew how to kiss. Plus he happened to be Itachi's neighbor. Which was really convenient. Oh and did Itachi mention that the ranch owner looked really, really _fucking_ hot in a pair of blue jeans? Yeah. It was hard to compete with that.

"Of course. Well Suigetsu's probably gonna give Sasuke a call." He smiles. "So maybe we can all hang out sometime."

Maybe, he had been overanalyzing it. Maybe, Jugo hadn't been trying to seduce him after all. "Yeah." Itachi nods as he makes a tactful exit to continue his shopping.

* * *

Meanwhile Naruto was back at the Uchihas' Place. They might not officially live here yet, but the blonde was starting to think of it as their place. He hoped that it would stay that way.

That's when he notices Sasuke had forgotten his phone. He didn't want to be that guy, but he noticed a name on it. Mostly because it was in ridiculously big font. **SUIGETSU HOZUKI!**

Suddenly, he felt the urge to smash the stupid thing or to delete whatever texts he had sent Sasuke. That would be wrong though. Sasuke was right. They weren't together. "No matter how amazing of kisser he is." He had no right to act like a jealous boyfriend.

Amazing was definitely the word for it. It should be illegal to get that turned on just by kissing, but apparently his body didn't care. It had all been perfect until Gaara and Itachi had showed up and then Sasuke had bolted.

"Maybe, I can talk some sense into him or something." He sighs.

Almost as if someone up there had heard him, the door opens and Sasuke walks through. He seemed a bit calmer. It had to be fate or something like that!

"Sasuke!" Naruto immediately darts over towards him.

Calm went out the window, when the Uchiha saw him though. Naruto didn't think that was a good sign. Actually, scratch that. He knew it was a bad sign.

The Uchiha sighs. "Hey." Suddenly, he looked just so damn wary, that Naruto actually felt guilty. "About earlier, I shouldn't have done that." Shouldn't have done what? "Kiss you like that." Oh.

Naruto shakes his head energetically. "No. The only thing you should be sorry about is stopping and bolting." Seriously.

The blonde was more than happy with Sasuke kissing him. He just had to figure out a way to make his Uchiha settle the Hell down and go back to making out.

"I stopped because I know that I don't belong here." The Hell he didn't! "I'm going back to the city. I'm going to talk to Itachi about it and see what he wants to do."

Naruto frowns. He was honestly considering shaking Sasuke, but he had a better idea. He pushes the other man against the wall and leans into him really closely.

His lips brush against his ear. "You can go back, if you want." Enjoying the slight shiver that the action elicited from the other man. "I'll still be here when you come back."

"What makes you think that I'm coming back?" Sasuke glares at him.

Naruto smiles and licks his ear. "The way you kissed me." Nipping lightly. "That's what makes me know you'll come back."

He was probably going to get smacked around for that one, but it was worth it. It was the best way that Naruto knew to say goodbye without completely losing it. Throwing a fit, wouldn't get him anywhere with Sasuke. This might.

* * *

A short while later, Itachi had finally made his way back. Gaara was honestly surprised that his boyfriend went to the ranch instead of home first, but he wasn't going to argue. He definitely wanted some more quality time with his favorite Uchiha.

"Hey." He smiles and blinks when he notices all the food. "Are you trying to feed us or a small village?" That was a lot of food.

Itachi chuckles as he kisses Gaara's forehead. "Well it's better to have too much than not enough." Well that was certainly one way to put it.

Though in a way, it made him happy to see all that food. It was highly unlikely that someone would buy that much food, if they weren't planning on sticking around for awhile. Itachi had said that he would stay, but the red head was worried that Sasuke would talk him out of it.

"That's true." He smiles at the kiss.

Itachi smirks at Gaara. "So I though that I would just stay here with you until I get a panicked call from my brother." He nods sagely. "I figured that there is perhaps no better way to pass the time than to seduce my favorite red head?"

Gaara feels his face heat up at the other man's words. Itachi it seemed, could be just as outrageous as Naruto when he wanted to be. Which was just fine with him!

"Yes, that does indeed sound like a rather productive use of your time." He smiles and pulls Itachi over for another kiss.

The feeling of Itachi returning his kiss was pure bliss. Where had this man learned how to kiss in such an extraordinary fashion? Nevermind. Gaara probably didn't want to know.

He had always been the jealous type. Hell, he might even be worse than Naruto in that respect. Though his rational thoughts didn't last long. How could such a trivial thing like coherent thought ever hope to last when met with the power of Itachi's kiss?

"Mmm." Itachi smiles at him. "You're a really good kisser." Between kisses, the Uchiha was also apparently rather lavish with his praise. "And you have the best ass that I have ever seen." Not that Gaara was going to complain.

The red head smiles and pushes his new boyfriend against the wall. If Itachi wanted to seduce him, he could work with that. Though normally, the ranch owner was the aggressor in most of his relationships.

"I was about to say the same to you." Gaara smirks as he captures Itachi's lips in another heated kiss and grabs his ass as if to emphasize his point.

Itachi chuckles between kisses. "Mmm. You certainly aren't shy." Not around Itachi.

The Uchiha had basically agreed to be his boyfriend. Itachi had said he was going to stay. As far as Gaara was concerned, that was an invitation. All systems go.

Of course, he wasn't a caveman. As tempting as it was to see if his new boyfriend was interested in getting to know each other much, much better, Gaara wasn't stupid. Pushing too fast, well that was usually a recipe for disaster.

"I have no reason to be shy." Gaara smirks as he leaves a trail of kisses along Itachi's jaw. "Now, that you said you're going to stay."

Itachi smiles and caresses Gaara's cheek. "Good. I'm glad that you feel that way."

* * *

Elsewhere Sasuke was at a loss for what to do. He probably should smack Naruto. Actually, he definitely should smack Naruto. Still, that seemed like too much of a damsel in distress move for his tastes.

"You're such an idiot." Sasuke rolls his eyes. "Who needs to learn to respect other people's personal space."

"You didn't seem to mind, when you were kissing me." Naruto backs up slightly. "You loved me invading your space then."

The most confusing thing about the blonde was how he could be so physical and such a flirt, but follow instructions. The blue eyed brewery owner seemed to know exactly where the line between assertive and being _too_ forceful was.

That and Sasuke really needed to come up with a comeback for that and fast. "Whatever. The point is you shouldn't just assume that I'm coming back." He rolls his eyes.

"Of course you are. How else are you going to ride Kurama?" He grins mischievously. "And me?"

Sasuke twitches. "Are you some kind of masochist?!" That was the only logical explanation at this point!

Naruto shakes his head. That only causes Sasuke to raise an eyebrow though. What other explanation could their possibly be.

"I'm not." Naruto smiles. "Well at least I wasn't till I met you." He shakes his head. "If you were a horse, you'd be even more wild than Kurama is."

Sasuke wasn't exactly sure how to respond to that. That was a beautiful black Arabian Horse, but he didn't know if he really wanted to be compared to an animal and Naruto's innuendoes were starting to distract him way too much for his liking.

"Whatever. This wild stallion is heading home." He rolls his eyes and heads towards his room. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lead you on or whatever, but I have a life back there."

Naruto sighs. "Yeah. I get that, but you're kidding yourself." He shakes his head. "Do you really want to spend decades pushing paper or do you want to do something fun? Like run a vineyard and winery?"

That was a good point. Though he was never going to admit that to Naruto. Sasuke knew better than to do that.

"Whatever." He shrugs. "I'll see you later. I've got packing to do."

Naruto glares at him. "You really are such a stubborn bastard." Sasuke rolls his eyes at this and starts packing his suitcase to drive the point home.

"Maybe." He shoves a shirt inside it, knowing that the rough treatment would likely wrinkle it. "That's another reason to get over it. I'm a stubborn bastard." He didn't care though. He'd deal with it later. "You can do better, right? You'll forget all about me in a couple weeks."

Naruto shakes his head and gives Sasuke a hard look. "You might be a stubborn bastard, but you're MY stubborn bastard." He sighs and heads to the door. "You'll figure that out sooner or later." And with that, he makes a not so tactful exit.

"That damn idiot!" He just had to go and say something like that! "Damn it!" Sasuke punches the nearby wall. "AHHH!" Which wasn't his brightest idea, but whatever!

It was just so sweet in a stupid way. Which obviously summed up Naruto most of the time. Well when he wasn't trying to seduce Sasuke. Then the blonde was just hot in this feral way and yeah, he definitely needed to get out of here before he did something stupid!


	9. Chapter 9

Something About Country Boys

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Oh and special thanks to AmiLovesSasuke for the flower idea. I modified it a bit, but it was the perfect inspiration for a scene in this chapter.

 **Viewers' Choice:** Feel free to weigh in on whether or not you would like to see snippets for Madara's afterlife. Majority will rule.

Chapter 9

The next day, Sasuke was on the phone with Itachi. He was back in the city. At the moment, he was staying at a hotel room. That would be easily fixed later though.

"I'm just going to sell you my share of Mangekyo Wines, if you decide to keep it or we'll find a buyer." After all, he had just graduated law school. "It shouldn't be hard." He hadn't had time to find an apartment or a house yet.

There was a sigh on the other end of the line. "You're being foolish." He was not!

Itachi was the one who was being foolish, Sasuke thinks to himself as he glances around his room. Charming wooden walls with a transparent window by the balcony meet his gaze. The windows were designed so he could see the skyline of the city, but people couldn't see him. Just the way, Sasuke liked it.

"I'm being foolish?" Sasuke couldn't believe his ears! "Who is the one that is considering entering into an industry they know nothing about because they found a hot red head?! Pft. Itachi was the one being ridiculous! Not him!

That wasn't all though. The bed was beautiful with white sheets and golden silk pillows. There was a connected bathroom and a small kitchen. A beautiful red, orange, and brown Persian Rug completed the look.

Though the beauty was somewhat lost on him at the moment. "Yes, you are." His brother was being really, really annoying. "You're not leaving because you want to. You're leaving because you're afraid."

Afraid?! Pft! He wasn't afraid! Sasuke just knew it was a dumb idea to get attached to Naruto, when he had a job waiting for him here. He had a life in the city. Just because Naruto could kiss really well, didn't mean he had to give that up!

"I'm not afraid of anything!" The younger Uchiha glares at the phone as if it was the cause of all his problems.

Yep. He could practically see it. "Then come back here and prove it." Itachi was definitely rolling his eyes at him and he was sighing slightly as well.

Where did Itachi get off?! Honestly, he was behaving as if Sasuke was a poorly behaved child. He was a grown man and could make his own decisions. And if Sasuke thought it was a stupid idea to get attached to someone that he couldn't have, that was his decision to make. Not Itachi's!

"I don't want to." Sasuke knew that he was half snarling, but he didn't care. "Just take my share and do what you like with it!"

If he went back there, he'd probably cave. If Itachi and Gaara hadn't shown up when they did, Sasuke likely would have done something stupid. Like given into Naruto. Of course, it would likely be the fun kind of stupid, but still stupid was just well stupid!

Shit! That idiot was really reducing his vocabulary. He only got that way when he was overwhelmed though. Thankfully, it was all in his head. An Uchiha in public was never anything, but fully articulate. His father had made sure of that.

Itachi chuckles as if he was amused by Sasuke's stubbornness. "Very well. I'm not going to sell your share though." Which only pissed the other Uchiha off more. "I have a feeling you'll change your mind."

"Fine." If Itachi wanted to be that way, let him. "But you're dealing with it. I wanted to sell it, so the financial stuff is your responsibility!" So there!

It was childish and he knew it, but Sasuke couldn't bring himself to care. The memory of Naruto's kiss was still burned into mind. In vivid and torturous detail.

He could just imagine Itachi shaking his head on the other side of the phone. "Very well, but we all know you're going to change your mind." Itachi sighs slowly. "Resistance is futile, but you've always been foolish. So I suppose that you'll just have to learn that the hard way."

Whatever. "Good night, Itachi!" And with that, Sasuke hangs up.

His brother was wrong. He wasn't going back there. Not unless it was to sign some paperwork to sell his share of Mangekyo and even then, he'd avoid a certain hot blonde like the Plague.

A hot blonde who was an amazing kisser and had made one too many clever innuendos. Clearly, that was a dangerous combination and the smartest thing Sasuke could do would be to stay away from him.

* * *

Meanwhile Gaara shakes his head as he tries to calm Naruto down. "You said what to him?" He raises an eyebrow.

Naruto was his best friend, but there were times when even the red head was shocked by the other man's behavior. This was one of those times. Naruto just didn't know when to quit when he was ahead.

"I said that he'd come back because I could tell by the way he kissed me." Right. "Which is true." His friend was perhaps the most presumptuous individual that Gaara had ever met.

That was nothing short of a recipe for disaster. How the brewery owner couldn't see that was beyond Gaara's comprehension. Still, it was clearly up to him to do damage control and a lot of it!

He shakes his head. "Well Itachi is likely still on the phone with Sasuke." Maybe, his boyfriend would have better luck with the more elusive Uchiha Brother than Naruto was. "Most likely trying to talk some sense into him. So don't do anything stupid."

Seriously, Naruto needed to sit, stay, and learn how to be a good blonde. Gaara had often thought of Naruto was being rather similar to a dog. Right now, he was the overly excited puppy that really wanted to follow Sasuke home.

He probably _would_ have followed the lawyer home, if Gaara wasn't watching the blonde like a hawk. There was no way that the ranch owner was going to allow his friend to sabotage his relationship like that before it even really had a chance to begin! If Naruto followed Sasuke now, nothing good would come of it! He was sure of it!

"I wasn't going to do anything stupid." Naruto crosses his arms and rolls his eyes. "You're just really lucky that Itachi is so mellow. He practically fell right into your arms!"

Gaara tries his best not to smirk at that, but he knew he was probably failing. "Yes, I know. I'm extremely fortunate that was the case." His heat did ache for Naruto though. "And I'm sure that you and Sasuke will do likewise soon enough. One can cut the sexual tension between the two of you with a knife."

Naruto grins at that. Well, if nothing else, it was pretty easy to settle his frown down. He was adorably predictable sometimes!

"You really think so?" The blonde was now grinning ear from ear.

Gaara nods as if to confirm what he said was indeed the truth. "I don't think so. I know so." He smiles at his friend. "You didn't win Kurama over in a day and I doubt you're going to win Sasuke in one either." Patience could be a virtue sometimes. "So cheer up."

Naruto nods. Good. It looked like his friend was taking his advice to heart. Maybe, they'd all survive this after all.

"You're right." The brewery owner smiles. "And I know exactly how to remind Sasuke of me, without being too pushy."

No! "Naruto, that's not what I was saying…" Damn it. What crazy idea had his friend gotten into his head now?!

The other man just shakes his head as he grabs his cell and starts dialing a number. Oh boy. God only knows what Naruto was about to do.

Gaara may not know **exactly** what the blonde was planning to do, but he did know that it was likely going to be reckless. That was something that Naruto excelled in. Being reckless.

"Yeah. How much would it cost for a hundred roses?" Oh geez. "Hmm color, I don't know… all of them?" Naruto couldn't be serious. "I mean what are the options?" Damn it. He was serious. This wouldn't end well.

* * *

Elsewhere Orochimaru slams his fist into his office's wall in frustration. This was ridiculous. First of all, the Uchihas were being completely unreasonable about this. And secondly, how dare they just up and find lovers with such disturbing ease?!

"Jugo and Suigetsu are probably going to be useless." He sighs heavily as he nurses his now bruised fist. "They're both already involved in relationships.

This was ridiculous. Orochimaru's information indicated that both brothers had been unattached before inheriting Mangekyo Wines from Madara and now, they both had boyfriends.

God, how Orochimaru hated that term! Boyfriend was just so ridiculously juvenile. Unfortunately, it would have to do as a placeholder.

With that thought in mind, he fires of some texts. Maybe, he could still salvage this somehow. Orochimaru wasn't sure how exactly, but he would figure something out. That was after all, why he was part of the Akatsuki! He was damn good at solving business problems!

 **And you are certain there is absolutely no chance that you could win them over? ~ Orochimaru.**

He had sent it to both Suigetsu and Jugo. It was easier that way. There was of course, always the possibility that one would know something the other didn't and it would be annoying to ask them individually.

 _ **You're crazy. You obviously didn't see the way the blonde was hanging all over, Sasuke. He probably would try to castrate me or something, if I even thought about touching him. ~ Suigetsu.**_

Orochimaru rolls his eyes at that as he bites his pencil while waiting for Jugo's response. Suigetsu was as uncouth as ever, but at least the gentle giant had manners. Something that his partner lacked.

 _Itachi said that he was going to have dinner with his boyfriend tonight. I don't think flirtation is going to work, but I will try the friendship approach. ~ Jugo._

It was infuriating really, but Orochimaru supposed there was literally nothing that he could do about it at the moment. This is all he had to work with. Wonderful.

Maybe, they'd be more willing to sell for a better price. He could offer them above market value. After all, they were businessmen. Were they not?

* * *

The next day, Naruto was pacing and forth in his home. He knew that Sasuke would be getting those flowers and soon. He'd told the florist to put his number on the card. So hopefully, he'd get a phone call.

 _Ring!_ "Thank God." And true to form, he did.

Naruto sighs in relief as he grabs the phone. "Naruto?" It was Sasuke! He'd recognize that sexy bastard's voice anywhere!

"Sasuke!" Victory at last!

He could hear a pause on the other line. "I can't believe you sent me a hundred roses!" Yep! He had!

Roses were romantic! That should definitely help with making his skittish stallion, well less skittish! It was a brilliant plan! Absolutely foolproof! Well at least in Naruto's mind, it was.

Apparently, Sasuke didn't see it that way. "Yeah! You liked them right?" Again another sigh.

Oh that wasn't good. Sighs were kinda the opposite of good in this situation actually. Seriously, how could the guy complain about roses?! Everyone liked roses! Didn't they?

"They were beautiful." Naruto could easily imagine Sasuke shaking his head. "And very colorful. I think you sent me just about every color in the rainbow, if you count the stems." Yep!

Yep! Yep! Only the best, would do for his skittish stallion. Clearly, Sasuke should be impressed by his dedication and creativity. So why wasn't the Uchiha bursting with joy over his affectionate gift?

"Then why do you sound so put out?" Naruto pauses as a terrifying thought occurs to him. "Shit, are you allergic to roses?!" Sasuke snorts on the other end upon hearing that theory and Naruto breathes a sigh of relief.

Well at least he hadn't given his potential boyfriend a sneezing fit. That would have sucked. Majorly. Though this still didn't sound good.

"No, I'm not allergic to flowers." Sasuke rolls his eyes. Well at least the sapphire eyed brewery owner imagines that he did. "It's just I told you that I was going back to the city." Yeah. "And I don't' do long-distance relationships!"

Oh. So that was the problem. Yeah. Long-distance relationships were usually a downer. Though that didn't matter. Naurto had a simple fix for that one!

He grins. The solution was so obvious. "Well in that case you should get your sexy ass back here." His grin continues to grow. "Then it won't be a long-distance relationship!"

"Naruto, I like you." Sasuke sighs. "More than I should really, but I'm staying in the city." The other man pauses, clearly feeling uncomfortable. "So don't send me anymore roses. I'm not sure what I'm going to tell my father. He saw them."

Oh that could be potentially problematic. "Shit! I'm sorry." Had he just "outed" Sasuke? "Does he know that you're gay?"

There was another pause and here, the blonde imagines his prospective lover was probably twitching in frustration. "Yes, he knows." Sasuke sounded so exasperated. "And he knows about Itachi as well. That's not the problem. The problem is I have a life here, Naruto."

Well yeah. So did Itachi though. That didn't seem to stop the other Uchiha from following his heart. Honestly, Naruto didn't get why Sasuke was doing this to himself or to him!

"I know, but you'll get bored there." Naruto needed to convince Sasuke somehow. "And you know it. Itachi is already bored and he's not even thirty. What do you think is going to happen to you?"

Sasuke was definitely rolling his eyes. "I'm not Itachi." He sighs. "Good night, Naruto." And with that, the brewery owner heard a click that signified that his would be boyfriend had just hung up on him.

"God damn it!" Naruto chucks his phone against the wall, shattering it. "Great. Now, I need a new phone too!" This just wasn't his day.

* * *

Elsewhere Itachi sighs and goes to find Gaara. He needed a distraction. His foolish little brother was getting on his last nerves.

So he'd just distract himself with a gorgeous red head. That seemed like a good plan to him. A most excellent plan actually.

"So how bad is it?" Gaara looks up at Itachi anxiously.

He shrugs. Honestly, he wasn't sure. "I don't believe that Sasuke is going to come running back here today, but I know he'll crack eventually." Sasuke was stubborn, but Naruto was even more so. (Well at least that was Itachi's opinion).

Itachi had never thought such a thing was possible. That someone could be more stubborn than Sauske. Naruto Uzumaki had proven him wrong though. So very wrong.

"Well that's a start." Gaara smiles and kisses Itachi. "You know him better than anyone. If you think he'll come back, he'll come back."

Precisely. Itachi smiles as he returns the kiss. The red head was an excellent kisser and he was seriously contemplating getting him out of those damn blue jeans.

Those blue jeans had been the case of one too many cold showers really. He didn't know whether to make a shrine to the designer or to curse them to the seven pits of Hell for all the cold showers that Itachi had had to endure because of them!

"That's right." Itachi smirks as he caresses Gaara's cheek. "So I was thinking we could get some wine from the winery and enjoy a nice evening by the fireplace, watch a movie, and makeout." Mostly make out though.

Itachi might even try to push things a bit further. As tempting as it was to just drag the red head off for a roll in the hay, he knew better. It was still too soon. Though the time was coming where he was going to make a big move on the ranch owner. He just had to be patient.

Gaara beams at him. "That sounds like a fine idea to me. I'll get the movie and you get the wine?" Itachi nods as he turns to head off towards the kitchen.

The ranch owner lived next to a winery and a vineyard. It wasn't surprising that he had some wine stocked up, really. Though what did surprise Itachi was when he felt a smack to his backside.

A rather firm one. That was most assuredly **not** an accident. Itachi knew that much!

"Gaara!" Not that he was activate protesting such a gesture, but it had surprised him greatly.

Gaara just smirks at him. "I can't help it." The smirk only grows. "It's a nice ass. It's hard not to smack it."

Itachi chuckles at that. Well perhaps he could move up that Roll in the Hay Schedule a tad. His boyfriend didn't seem particularly adverse to such a thing. Hell, Gaara seemed to actively be encouraging it!

"I'll keep that in mind." Itachi returns Gaara's smirk with one of his own as he scurries into the kitchen.

Hmm. It had been awhile since he had actually scurried anywhere. Gaara really did make him feel like a teenager again, Itachi muses as he grabs the bottle of wine.

"Though that's not necessarily a bad thing." Sadly, his teenage years had been mostly a blur of studying or teasing Sasuke.

Of course, teasing Sasuke was always an enjoyable experience. Still, the elder Uchiha would have liked to focus on something else besides just his family, academics, and the sports that he had played to make his university applications look even more impressive.

Rarely, had he actually socialized with his teams outside of the actual games. It was a shame in hindsight, now that he thought about it. Though Itachi certainly was planning to make up for lost time. Starting by with _socializing_ with Gaara!

He quickly returns to the red head and sits by him. "What'd you choose?" Itachi smiles at his boyfriend as he sits down on the couch with him and pours them each a glass of wine.

"An adult film, of course." Itachi blinks.

Was Gaara actually serious? That's when he looks at the tv and laughs. "A documentary about pandas?" That was unexpected.

Gaara shrugs. "Pandas are adorable and I doubt we're going to be paying much attention anyway." He smirks as he leans over and kisses Itachi.

"Mmm. I like the way you think." The other man agrees with a smile and with that, Itachi returns his kiss and banishes any further unpleasant thoughts from his mind for the rest of the night!

* * *

Unbeknownst to them, at that same moment the Akatsuki were having a meeting. Orochimaru had not been invited. That had been Pain's doing.

His real name was Nagato, but everyone called him Pain. That was for a very good reason. Should you be on the wrong end of his business dealings, you were sure to feel a lot of pain. Right where it hurt most. Your wallet.

"Do we have anymore information on Mangekyo Wines?" And Orochimaru was getting dangerously close to being on the receiving end of his fury.

Konan sighs and shakes her head. "Unfortunately, I don't have much information. Though the younger brother was seen heading back to towards the city." Interesting.

The younger brother was probably the weaker link then. Sasuke would be more likely to sell. And if they could persuade him to sell, Itachi was likely to follow. Yes, this could still work out perfectly.

They just had to play their cards right. Luckily, that was something that Pain knew how to do. Oh he knew how to do that well. Better than anyone at this table actually and that was certainly saying something.

"So what are we going to do?" Deidara flails dramatically. "Yeah?!"

Every member at this table was an Akatsuki. They were the elite of the elite. There wasn't a single person in this room that hadn't closed deals worth tens of millions of dollars before and some of them, had closed deals for over a billion.

Kakuzu sighs and nods his head. "That's exactly what I've been wondering." Though it seemed he wasn't done. "This isn't the biggest deal that we've ever signed, but it has the most potential."

"Kakuzu is right about that." Sasori feigns boredom as he looks at his nails. "It would be best to strike now. The sooner, the better."

When Sasori feigned boredom, bad things tended to happen to their business rivals, Pain muses. Oh yes. Very, very bad things indeed. The very thought brought a smile to his normally stoic face.

"Yeah!" Kisame nods his head vigorously. "So should we go rough them up or what?" And as always, Kisame was Kisame.

"You damn idiot." Hidan rolls his eyes. "Roughing them up isn't going to help us!" That was true.

Though Pain was at a loss for what would help. Ororchimaru had made a serious error in judgment when he approached them that quickly after Madara's death. It was such a great error, that Pain wasn't entirely sure that Orochimaru was fit to be an Akatsuki anymore.

He'd deal with that matter later though. Right now, their highest priority was convincing the Uchiha Brothers to sell. Whether they would do so through "polite" or "forceful" means meant little to Pain. The end justified the means was a philosophy that he had followed all his life.

"Precisely." Pain sighs as he looks around the room. "We need to come up with a plan and quickly, before someone else buys them out." After all, the brothers were probably going to sell to someone.

Neither of them knew anything about the wine industry as far as Pain could tell. They would have to time this very carefully. Unlike Orochimaru, they couldn't risk striking too soon, but they also didn't want to strike too late.

It would be most irritating, if someone else managed to outbid them or buy the brothers out before they could. Which was why, Pain detested waiting in this scenario. Sadly, there was little else that he could do at the moment.

"Don't worry!" Deidara smiles brightly. "We'll figure something out! Yeah?!"

Pain nods approvingly at his business colleague's enthusiasm. Of course, they would figure something out. After all, they were the Akatsuki and the Akatsuki was unstoppable!


	10. Chapter 10

Something About Country Boys

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter. Oh and special thanks to Emirri for the bridle idea!

 **Chapter Notation:** This is mostly a Gaara x Itachi Chapter, but don't worry. Sasuke x Naruto will get their chance to shine. Oh and for anyone who is wondering, I imagine everyone will get a chance to be in the driver's seat at some point.

Chapter 10

After that phone conversation, Sasuke determines that he needed a drink. Badly. So he heads out and goes to the nearest nightclub. The Sound. Strange name, but was accurate.

"Sex on the beach, please." Sasuke sits down on one of the barstools.

The place was packed and dark. Well dark and yet not. The way the light machines would shimmer the colorful lights erratically was almost ethereal. There was also a smoke machine going and the music was playing loudly, but not loudly enough to hard one's ears.

That last point in particular was something Sasuke appreciated. He had always had good hearing and that was why he avoided nightclubs more often than not. Well that and he was usually busy studying at law school and didn't feel like going out for a drunken hookup.

As the music was just starting to ensnare his senses, the youngest Uchiha hears a throaty chuckle. "If you want sex on the beach, you're at the wrong place." Sasuke turns around and blinks as he comes face to face with a familiar pair of violet eyes. "But I always knew you had it in you." Suigetsu.

Sasuke probably would have slapped the idiot for being such a pervert, if he wasn't so surprised to see him. He supposed he could blame it on the atmosphere of the club though. The music certainly didn't help. It was music that practically screamed raw lust.

"Funny." He rolls his eyes. "I'm not interested though." It felt wrong.

Naruto wasn't his boyfriend, but still it felt like it was almost cheating. Whatever he had or didn't have with Naruto, eventually Sasuke was going to have to sort it out. Right now though, he was going to drown his confusion in as much alcohol as possible.

Was that healthy? No. Was it responsible? Definitely not. He'd call a cab though. So whatever!

Suigetsu laughs and shakes his head. "Don't kid yourself, you're interested." The white haired man sits next to him. "But I also know that you aren't the type to stray and I respect that."

Great. Now his kinda relationship with the loveable dumb blonde was so obvious that even Suigetsu recognized it. That probably wasn't a good sign. He needed to call the sapphire eyed brewery owner and end this before things got really out of hand.

"Good." He wasn't going to correct Suigetsu though.

It was much easier to have a conversation with the other man, when Suigetsu thought he was off the market. He was a flirt, but he wasn't a bad guy. And if Sasuke had been looking for a fling or friends with benefits, it probably would have worked out well.

He wasn't stupid though. Suigetsu would have driven him crazy long-term. Not funny crazy like Naruto, but the I'm going to pull my hair out kinda crazy.

Suigetsu nods and sighs as he watches Sasuke drink. "Look, I guess I should just be blunt." Uh huh?

That got Sasuke's attention. When wasn't Suigetsu blunt? "Yeah?" He raises an eyebrow.

"Mangekyo Wines isn't the biggest winery and vineyard in the world, but it carters to some very wealthy clients and has a lot of potential." Wow. Suigetsu was actually talking about business. "And the Akatsuki knows that." Shit.

Sasuke's eyes narrow. "It wasn't a coincidence that you found us, after we inherited Mangekyo."

It was a statement of fact. Not a question. The youngest Uchiha already knew the answer to the question and that just pissed him off. He was sorely tempted to throw his drink in Suigetsu's face, but he wanted to hear it from him.

"No. It wasn't." He shakes his head. "Sassy, look. The Akatsuki is big time and they're major cutthroats." Suigetsu actually looks guilty for a minute. "So when Orochimaru told me to try to charm you into selling the place, I thought I was doing you a favor."

What the Hell?! Yeah. Now, Sasuke was definitely tempted to throw his drink in Suigetsu's face! How dare he?!

Somehow, he refrains. "And? What changed your mind?" He glares at Suigetsu. "Why are you coming clean now?"

Suigetsu sighs and shakes his head. "Well it's pretty obvious that the whole charming thing isn't going to work. Really, Sasuke, I thought I was helping you." He pauses. "You'd make a lot of money off of selling the place and you don't really know anything about the industry and hey, if we hooked up in the process, all the better."

Yeah. Suigetsu probably would have been interested in a fling, but he wasn't a complete creep. Maybe a bit of a nymphomaniac, but harmless. Well _mostly_.

"Right. I guess that makes sense." Sasuke sighs and shakes his head. "Well it doesn't matter. I told Itachi he can do what he likes with my share." He shrugs. "So you can tell your employer that you did your job and Orochimaru can stay the Hell away from me."

Suigetsu watches Sasuke warily. "Just like that? The guy is a Grade A Creep and everything, but that seems unexpected. What happened, did you and Blondie have a fight?"

No. Not exactly. "It's a long story." Sasuke glances at the bartender. "Can you get me a vodka?" Screw Sex on the Beach. He needed vodka and lots of it!

* * *

Meanwhile Gaara was enjoying some quality time with his favorite Uchiha and listening to a panda documentary as background noise. Quality time consisted of making out like there was no tomorrow.

Itachi smiles and breaks the kiss. "You know there's a hot tub out back." Hot tubs sounded fun! "Wanna take advantage of that?"

"You mean take advantage of you." Gaara smirks.

Itachi shakes his head in amusement and kisses Gaara. "You're certainly a confident one, but we shall see." Ah ha! So that meant there was a chance!

There was a chance that his boyfriend was about to become his lover. In a hot tub. Today must be his lucky day. Gaara probably should have bought a lottery ticket this morning!

"Mmm more like realistically confident." The red head returns the kiss and smiles. "Alright. I'll meet you out back." And with that, he begins to head off.

Itachi watches Gaara leave for a moment, before smacking his backside. "Hey!" Gaara turns around and glares at him.

The elder Uchiha smirks in response. "You deserved that." No one got away with smacking an Uchiha's ass, without getting the same treatment in return. "I'll see you in about five minutes." The words were no sooner said than Itachi headed upstairs.

Gaara blinks. "He's either the feistiest submissive that I've ever seen or the sneakiest dominant." It didn't really matter though.

It looked like all the fantasies that he had been having since Itachi's arrival were about to come true. The red head would be more than delighted to try any position that Itachi wanted. Just as long as the other man didn't leave him in desire need of a cold shower.

* * *

Elsewhere Naruto sighs. Great. So the flower thing hadn't worked out and he needed a new phone. That really sucked.

"Well I'm not giving up that easily." Nothing worth having was ever easy. He'd learned that much from owning a brewery. "Maybe, I just need to get more creative!"

What did he know about Sasuke? Well he knew that the man had a weakness for vodka and really wanted to ride Kurama. Sending Sasuke vodka would likely only piss him off though.

Hmm. "What about Kurama though?" Obviously, he couldn't send the thoroughbred to the big city, but there had to be a way to remind Sasuke of Kurama and by extension, of him!

Sending him a picture, well that just seemed so lame. Naruto could do better than that. Wait. A bridle! Yeah!

"This is going to be awesome!" This would do the trick for sure.

Naruto smiles as he scurries off to get one of Kurama's bridles and quickly prepares to send the package out. Sasuke could protest as much as he wanted, but Naruto knew the truth. That kiss spoke volumes.

Sasuke wanted him just as much as Naruto wanted him. He was just being stubborn and cautious. Much like Kurama used to be. That's okay though. He'd get the message eventually.

"Yeah." He nods proudly at his idea. "That should do it."

Now, he just had to figure out what to put on the note. The brewery owner needed something that would catch Sasuke's eye, but something that preferably wouldn't get him slapped. Eh screw it!

He'd rather get slapped by the younger Uchiha than ignored. Any publicity was good publicity or something like that. Right?

 _ **Dear Bastard,**_

 _ **Kurama and I really miss you. So I thought that I'd give you this and if you come back, you can help me put it on him. Then we can go for a ride on Kurama. Later on, maybe we can help each other out of our own "bridles" and go on an even more fun ride. Well we can take turns riding each other anyway, I"m flexible about that sort of thing! Call me ;)!  
**_

 _ **Thinking of you, Naruto.**_

Oh yeah. He was definitely going to get slapped. It was so totally going to be worth it though, he thinks to himself as he sends off the package.

* * *

A few minutes later, Itachi smiles as he makes his way outside to hot tub that Madara had set up outside. The man owned quite a lot of property and wasn't afraid of neighbors getting an eyeful it seemed.

 **Warning Lemon**

"I have to say that the pandas were indeed very cute, but they don't hold a candle to you." Itachi chuckles as he strips and gets into the tub with Gaara.

Gaara blushes at that and pulls Itachi in for a kiss. "I'm glad to hear that." He didn't really feel like competing with adorable furry animals for his boyfriend's attention. "What's that you've got in your hand?"

"You'll see." Itachi smiles, after breaking the kiss.

Gaara wasn't sure whether to be excited or terrified at that answer. He knew one thing about Itachi. The man was older than him and that meant, the Uchiha was likely more experienced than him.

Itachi was also highly intelligent. "You look like a rabbit that got cornered by a big bad wolf." The analogy might be appropriate. "But don't worry, I think you'll enjoy being devoured." Alright it was _definitely_ appropriate Gaara thinks to himself as Itachi pulls him into his lap.

Gaara smiles at the gesture and kisses him. His hands gliding over the muscular planes of Itachi's chest and his abs. Gaara really, really liked those. There really should be a shrine dedicated to Itachi's abs!

"Good to know." He murmurs between heated kisses.

Itachi was a seducer. The way he could glide his tongue over every corner of the red head's mouth was nothing short of amazing. He felt like a middle schooler again. It had been a long time since kisses were this exciting.

Itachi sighs in contentment as he slides one of his hands down Gaara's back. "Very good to know." And sneaks the other one between the red head's thighs, grasping his already half formed erection in his hand.

"Fuck!" Gaara shivers as he bucks into the other man's touch and his hand travels further south, to return the favor. "You should come with warning label or something."

Itachi smirks at that. The red head definitely hand a mouth on him, but that was just fine with the elder Uchiha Brother. He loved a little banter during sex.

"As should you, I'm sure." He smiles as he slides his hand up and down the length of Gaara's arousal, gently coaxing him. "We can't have you going off halfcocked though."

Yeah. Gaara was pretty sure he was going to have a heart attack before the evening ended. Between Itachi's glorious crimson red eyes, the feeling of his hand on his dick, the beautiful moonlight, and the warm water and cool night time air teasing his skin, he was a goner.

He was practically drowning in sensation, but he adored every moment of it. "Lay back against the side." The ranch owner orders.

It surprised Gaara when Itachi did so without complaint, but he wasn't going to argue. While he was confident that his lover was the more e experienced between the two of them, certain reactions were universal. "Good Uchiha. You can already sit and stay." He smirks.

Itachi was going to issue a retort, but it died on his lips when Gaaa wrapped his mouth around his cock. His wonderfully hot, wet mouth. "Woof! Woof!" If Gaara wanted to compare him to a dog, he could. Just as long as he didn't stop anytime soon!

God that felt good. Itachi smirks though as he leans over and grabs the small tube of lubrication. While Gaara was driving him to the brink of madness with his seductive sucks and loving licks, Itachi too advantage of that fact and generously coated his fingers.

He had to be the luckiest man alive. Itachi was getting sucked off by a hot red head in a hot tub, underneath the moonlight. That was both incredibly romantic and lewd at the same time. His favorite combination for sex, actually.

"God, you're beautiful." Itachi smiles down at him, but soon was moaning. "AH! FUCK!" His little rabbit definitely knew how to suck on a carrot, so to speak.

A lesser man probably would have cum right then and there, but Itachi wasn't a lesser man. He knew exactly what he was going to do. He had a plan!

Soon Gaara was groaning around Itachi's cock as his lover strokes him wonderfully in his hand. He didn't see it coming until it was too late and Itachi slipped a single finger inside him.

"Hey!" Gaara suddenly lets go of Itachi's arousal. "What's with the sneak attack?!" He didn't want to accidentally bite him or something, after all!

Itachi smirks. Well he should have expected that really. "I'm used to taking on the more aggressive role." He looks at him. "Though if you're really uncomfortable with the idea, I could be persuaded to let you take the reigns."

He wouldn't actually push the issue, if the red head was truly balking at the idea. Some people loathed not being in charge when it came to their sex lives. While Itachi's natural inclination was to top, he wasn't willing to lose the ranch owner over it.

Gaara pauses as he squirms against Itachi and considers the idea. "You better make it worth it then." It wasn't his first time giving up control, but it also wasn't something the red head made a habit of doing.

Itachi smiles at him and kisses the red head. "Believe me, I'll make it worth it." He removes the digit and nudges Gaara until he was half bent over the edge of the hot tub, on his hands and knees. "Just relax and let me take care of you." He smiles and kisses the back of the red head's neck.

Mmm. Well that had always been a spot. For some reason, the ranch owner's neck was incredibly sensitive and who could resist a sexy economist giving such a wicked sale's pitch?

"Alright." He nods. "But if you don't do a good job, then I'm bending your ass over next and you'll be too sore to walk properly for a week!"

Itachi releases a throaty chuckle upon hearing that as he applies more lubrication to his fingers before sliding two of them inside Gaara.

There was something positively sinful about seeing a hot red head bent over for you as you played with his cock. The little moans of pleasure and the sight of the water sliding down his back only added to the eroticism of the moment.

Gaara suddenly tenses up and lets out a loud moan. Itachi had definitely found it. His spot. The one that would make him see stars.

"Ah!" He squirms back against his gorgeous lover. "Right there!"

Itachi smirks and teases that spot for a few moments, before replacing his fingers with something far bigger. To say that that other man was well endowed would have been understatement. Gaara felt completely full.

"You alright?" Itachi kisses and nibbles on the ranch owner's ear affectionately as he gently strokes his cock.

Gaara nods and bucks back against him. "I'm a ranch owner." Like Hell was he going to be treated as if he was some China Doll. "I'm not made of glass."

Itachi groans. "That's very, very good to know." Thank goodness for that!

Gaara was so hot and tight. The way that he just swallowed up everything that Itachi had to give him was frankly nothing short of amazing. They fit together perfectly, Itachi muses to himself as he starts thrusting.

Every thrust was perfection! Hot and tight. The feeling of the red head underneath him. The warmth of his skin. The sound of his sexy moans. His musky scent. All of it was glorious!

"Fuck!" Gaara hisses in pleasure underneath him as he bucks against Itachi's hand desperately. "Don't stop!" And his chest desperately.

It was like magic really. The way that they moved as if they were one person. Itachi would pull out and then drive straight back into him. Into the spot that made him want to scream.

His warm hand wrapped around Gaara's arousal, well that just made it even better. Itachi Uchiha was apparently many things, but a selfish lover wasn't one of them.

He wasn't the only one losing himself to the moment though. "You feel so incredible." His lover was growling into his ear seductively as he claimed him over and over again.

"So do you!" Not that Gaara minded. "So fucking close!" He loved it actually.

It was a strange, but heady contradiction. Itachi's thrusts were at once, both precise and primal. Going faster and faster and deeper, but somehow managing tease his spot in such a way that Gaara sincerely wondered if it was possible to die from too much sexual pleasure.

"Then cum with me." Itachi kisses his shoulder as he buries himself inside the red head underneath him faster and faster.

Every thrust brought him closer to his own release, but Itachi was determined. Determined that the gorgeous man underneath him was going to tumble over the edge with him.

"Itachi!" And so he did, with the Uchiha following almost immediately after him.

They both came hard, screaming each other's name. It took several minutes for Itachi to catch his breath and have enough presence of mind to slide out of Gaara. When he did though, he kisses his new lover. Hotly.

 **End of Lemon**

Gaara smiles and kisses back, even though he was still trying to catch his breath from that epic lovemaking session. He was never going to look at hot tubs the same way again.

"We should have done that sooner." Itachi's eyes glimmer with mischief as he breaks the kiss and caresses Gaara's cheek.

The red head could only nod in agreement. "Y-Yeah, but better late than never." To which, Itachi just laughs and the red head was pretty sure that if he hadn't already been in love with the other man, he sure as Hell was now.

* * *

Unbeknownst to the lovers, they weren't the only one having a busy night. Though for Orochimaru, things were going far less pleasantly. He was currently in Pain's Mansion. That wasn't a good sign.

"I'm certain that you're wondering why I called you here, especially at this hour." Pain sighs across the dinning table with Orochimaru.

It had crossed his mind. Though he knew better than to say that. Pain detested small talk and tended to get straight to the point. So there was no need to ask the unspoken, _"Why."_ It would be answered soon enough.

The other man shakes his head. "You've become a liability." Pain sighs heavily as though he was irritated. "You should have known better. You should have allowed them more time to grieve. While Mangekyo Wines is not the largest business we are hoping to acquire, it's potential is almost unlimited. And if this is the sort of reckless behavior we can expect from you in other ventures, the only option I have is to let you go."

Orochimaru blinks. What?! "I'm afraid that I don't understand." This couldn't be happening!

"Your employment at Akatsuki Inc is terminated as of now." He shakes his head. "You will of course receive a generous severance package." Pain pauses as though he was trying to soften the blow at least somewhat. "For all the work that you have done for our company."

A severance package?! The man must have been out of his mind. As if he was going to accept that! He was Orochimaru Sannin. Orochimaru was not the type of man to quit that easily.

"I assure you it will not happen again." The other Akatsuki Member shakes his head as if to prove his sincerity. "One mistake can't undo decades of loyal service. Surely."

Pain raises an eyebrow. "Orochimaru, don't test me." He gives him a pointed look. "If I wanted to, I could make it impossible for you to find another job. As of now, I can give you quite the good recommendation and the severance package along with your various savings is more than enough to retire in luxury for the rest of your life, should you desire it." He shakes his head. "Let us part on amiable terms."

He was joking! This couldn't be possible! Pain must be trying to scare him.

Orochimaru laughs. "You've made your point. I will be more careful from now on." He nods and looks at Pain sincerely.

"I'm not joking." Pain stands up and gestures towards the door. "I believe you know your way out."

Orochimaru couldn't believe it. "HOW DARE YOU?!" It was too much for him to process. He lunges at Pain in a blind rage, only to be stopped by his body guards.

"Please show, Mr. Sannin out." Pain sighs as the bodyguards drag the angry businessman off.

* * *

Five minutes later, Orochimaru was seething on the street. He couldn't believe it. He had been betrayed.

"Decades working for them and this is the thanks I get?!" He had made one error in judgment and now, he was out of a job?! "They're going to regret this!"

Pain was right. Orochimaru did have quite the impressive nest egg of savings stashed away. He had made the Top 400 Richest People list several times and for good reason. He had the money to buy Mangekyo, if he wanted it and now, he did.

Now it was a matter of principle. There was no way that he was going to allow the Akatsuki to get that company now. He was going to hit them where it would hurt them the most. Their pride!


	11. Chapter 11

Something About Country Boys

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

 **Chapter Notation:** I just like the name Rosewood. The hotel in this chapter isn't meant to be based on any particular location, but it probably is a common name.

Chapter 11

A few hours later, Gaara was snuggled up into Itachi's arms. He wasn't sure when exactly they had made it to actual bed, but the red head wasn't about to complain. This was nice.

"Mmm sex agrees with you." Itachi issues a throaty chuckle. "You look so relaxed."

Hell yes, it agreed with him and the Uchiha was right about that much. Gaara was very, very relaxed. He felt like he was made out of pudding or something. Every muscle in his body seemed as it had been completely and thoroughly soothed.

He smirks at Itachi though. "And it seems to agree with you as well." Indulging in his whim to run his fingers through those beautiful dark locks.

"Yes, it most certainly does." Itachi looks at him.

His eyes were dancing with undisguised mirth. Itachi had such beautiful eyes. So expressive, Gaara thinks to himself.

This was even more obvious in the midst of lovemaking. Enigmatic and yet, every emotion was displayed in stunningly clear detail. Itachi was nothing, if not a series of beautiful contradictions.

Gaara nods at this. "Well in that case, I think that we should be agreeable with each other more often." That might have been a little desperate, but who could blame him?

It wasn't every day that one found such a gorgeous and intelligent lover to share their bed with. Alright. So technically, it had been Madara's hot tub, but why quibble? The red head was certain that Madara would have most heartily approved anyway.

"Mmm I think that's a fine idea." Itachi smirks and then he looks confused. "What are you laughing at?"

Gaara knew that he was likely snickering, but he honestly couldn't help it. "Oh just the thought of how much Madara would have applauded our use of his hot tub." The man had always been a deviant.

While Madara was as straight as an arrow, he certainly hadn't bated an eyelash when he found out that Naruto and Gaara weren't. In fact, the man did occasionally make efforts to set them up. These always were rather cringe worthy because the man didn't know a damn thing about men who dated men.

Still, the ranch owner couldn't find it in himself to be angry with the old codger. Madara meant well. Really, it was the thought that counted.

"Oh really?" Itachi looks mildly amused at that thought.

Gaara could only nod though. "Yes, really." He smirks as he remembers one of the more disastrous blind dates that the eccentric Uchiha had sent him on. "He was always trying to _help_ us find lovers."

It was rather ironic in a way. Madara had finally done it. From beyond the grave. Who would have ever thought that he and Naruto would wind up falling for the man's great nephews?

"I take it by your tone and the fact that I was so easily able to seduce you, that these attempts were unsuccessful." Itachi smirks.

Gaara blushes. He was used to being the one who made the first move and well, that wasn't the case with the other man curled up next to him. Itachi was very much a take no prisoners type of person in this respect.

He manages to nod though. "Yeah. He tried, but the man didn't really know how to match two men." Not that that was his fault, of course.

"Well I suppose in a way, he got the last laugh." Itachi pulls the red head flush against him. "It is because of him that we found each other."

That was true and Gaara was about to say as much when Itachi captures his lips in a heated kiss. On second thought, he could respond later. Right now, all that mattered was the taste of Itachi's kiss. Everything else could wait.

* * *

Elsewhere Suigetsu shakes his head as he finally manages to get Sassy back to his hotel room. "Your ass is staying right there." Seriously, someone up there had to hate him or something.

Any other time, Sasuke + Vodka = Fun. This wasn't one of those times though. It was pretty obvious that the Uchiha wasn't in the mood to sneak off with Suigetsu. He wanted Naruto.

"I'm sorry, I already have a father." Sasuke rolls his eyes.

What the Hell did that even mean? "What?" Oh yeah. He probably shouldn't have let the Uchiha near vodka. The man wasn't making any sense.

The lawyer wasn't done yet though. "Fugaku Uchiha is my father. I don't need another one." He was now currently trying to shove the Hozuki out of his room. "I'm a big boy now and I can handle my liquor. Got it?"

Oh right. So that's what the other man meant. Sasuke just resented being bossed around. Whatever. It was for his own good.

"Right. Whatever." He was so not going to stick around to be the other man's Pinata. "Just don't do anything stupid and stay in your hotel room." That was Naruto's job!

"Fine." Sasuke rolls his eyes. "Just let me sleep it off and I'll be fine." He was only slurring his words slightly. That was impressive. "And tell Orochimaru to fuck off."

Suigetsu couldn't help, but laugh at that last part. "Oh don't worry." He winks at the other man. "I'm more than happy to tell Orochimaru off. That's one of my favorite hobbies actually."

Sasuke smirks at that. "Good. Bye." And with that, the Uchiha slams the door in his face.

Holy shit! Damn. And here Suigetsu thought that Gaara was the feisty one because he was a red head. Uchihas could be vicious!

* * *

Back in the city, Orochimaru frowns over his morning cup of coffee. Pure black. Just the way he liked it. None of that sugar or cream to dilute the flavor. Bitter coffee was the best kind in his opinion. Unfortunately, even that wasn't enough to raise his spirits.

"Now, I need to find a way to purchase Mangekyo." He sighs as he looks over morning paper.

He knew that Itachi worked at Sharingan Corp and Sasuke was sure to follow suit, if they didn't keep their inheritance. That meant the best way to handle this situation was to learn more about Sharingan.

"Itachi already knows my voice." That meant that the other man was probably a lost cause at the moment. "Such a shame. I'm going to have to focus on the younger brother."

In the end, that might be for the best though. At Sasuke's age, it was far easier to manipulate people. It was amazing what a few short years could do for someone's development, he muses as he scans the business section.

 _ **Sharingan Corporation to Host Charity Ball**_

 _ **Sharingan Corp has scheduled it's 13**_ _ **th**_ _ **annual charity ball this Saturday at the Rosewood Hotel. Tickets are now on sale. All proceeds will go to towards conservation efforts.**_

 _ **The event is open to the public. Along with dinner and dancing, there will also be an auction. Tickets are now on sale. You can purchase them by calling 555-5555 or at the website listed below.**_

That was perfect. "If the family business is hosting it, that means Sasuke and Itachi are bound to be there." Finally, it seemed as though fate was smiling at Orochimaru.

Perhaps, this was a sign. He must have outgrown the Akatsuki. This was actually a blessing in disguise.

Of course, that didn't mean that he had given up on making them suffer. Far from it. The Akatsuki was going to pay for his humiliation. It was just now his spirits had been boosted considerably.

* * *

At that same moment, Naruto's phone rings. The blonde blinks and answers it. It was from a number he didn't recognize.

"Welcome to Rasegan Brewery. If this is about an order, business hours are from 9 AM to 5 PM, Monday through Friday. So maybe, you should try again tomorrow." He grins into the phone.

There was a pause on the other end of the line and for some reason, that filled Naruto with a sense of dread. Why did he have a bad feeling about this?

"Yeah. I'm not calling for booze." That voice sounded so annoyingly familiar. "I know that you don't like me very much Blondie and that's fine, but you're boyfriend is in his hotel room and he's had more vodka than should probably be legal."

Boyfriend? Well he wished Sasuke was his boyfriend, but the other man was being incredibly stubborn. "Wait. Did you say vodka?" Damn it! This wasn't good!

He remembered what Sasuke told him about his university days. Apparently, it sincerely impaired his judgment or something because Sasuke had dirty danced with this dumbass! Not that Naruto really held that against Sasuke, everyone had at least one wild night at university, but still.

"Yeah. I said vodka." Suigetsu sighs and actually sounds guilty. "He's okay. I talked to him in a nightclub and he had one too many drinks, but I'd rather have you two kiss and make up than have him do anything stupid."

Wow. Who knew that Suigetsu had it in him to be chivalrous? That frankly shocked the Hell out of Naruto and grudgingly, earned the idiot a little bit more respect from the blonde.

"Right." He sighs and shakes his head. "What hotel and which room?" This didn't sound good.

If Sasuke was out of it enough that even Suigetsu was taking notice, he was in no shape to drive or do much of anything. That was why Naruto needed to get moving. Before it was too late.

Another pause. "I normally wouldn't give that type of info out." Yeah. For good reason. "I can't lie though. I'm kinda worried. "Again for good reason. "Room 328 at the Rosewood Hotel."

Naruto blinks. Damn. It appeared that Sasuke had inherited his great uncle's hedonistic streak after all. The Rosewood was fancy!

"Alright. I'll head out there now." Naruto pauses. "Thanks by the way. I used to think you were an ass." He grins. "Now, I think you're just a dumbass. You can't help it, but you don't mean any harm."

Naruto quickly shuts off his phone as he races out the door. There was no way that he was going to listen to Suigetsu bitching about that little comment. Besides, he had more important things to do! Like getting to Sasuke!

* * *

A few minutes later, Itachi smiles as he breaks the kiss with Gaara. The night before had been absolutely glorious. Though there was no reason why the morning after couldn't be equally so.

"Mmm." He stretches out contentedly. "I'm kinda hungry." He could cook a nice meal for his new lover. "You in the mood for anything in particular?"

Gaara smirks. "Besides you sucking me off again?" And Itachi just rolls his eyes playfully in response.

He couldn't be angry with his adorable panda. It was cute when his feisty bottom tried to pretend that he was well not adorable. Hmm. Idly, Itachi wonders if Gaara would mind, if he started calling him Panda as a nickname.

There were people who called their sweethearts kitten or tiger. So it wouldn't be that unusual, would it? Besides, he needed something more unique for Gaara than just Baby!

"Yes, besides that." Itachi shakes his head and kisses Gaara. "Though that may be negotiable later, if you're a good panda." He smirks.

Gaara blinks. "Did you just call me a panda?" Itachi nods.

He might as well try out the nickname now. The sexy red head was obviously in a good mood. Gaara was still enjoying the afterglow. Now, was obviously the best time to try out the nickname.

"It's a pet name." Itachi smiles as he hops out of the bed and heads to the door. "Do you like it?"

Gaara blinks again, obviously stunned at the other man's choice in petnames. "Well I suppose there are much worse animals to be compared to." He sounded so baffled.

It was frankly the most endearing thing that Itachi had ever seen. It was absurd, but God did he love this man. His gorgeous ranch owner.

"Yes, there are." Itachi nods as if to confirm this as he heads to the kitchen.

He smirks because he knew his Gaara. Gaara would follow. There was nothing like having a lover join you for a meal after a long lovemaking session.

* * *

Back at the Rosewood Hotel, Sasuke blinks when he notices that he'd received a package. "Wonder what this is?" Now, that Suigetsu was gone, he had finally noticed it.

Curiously, he opens it and looks at it in confusion. "A bridle?" Who the Hell would send him a bridle?

Oh wait. Nevermind. The Uchiha sighs as he realizes who must have sent it. Naruto. Naruto was being an infuriatingly lovable idiot again. It was apparently his hobby.

"Might as well check to see if there's a card." He looks around for one.

It didn't take Sasuke long to find it. It took him even less time to read it. And an impossibly short amount of time to blush.

The lawyer twitches. "He just doesn't give up." This was getting ridiculous!

It was either the most romantic or annoying relationship that he'd ever had in his life. First, the roses and now, a bridle? Sasuke didn't know whether to be impressed or furious.

That was until he heard a knock on his door. "Sasuke?" And a very familiar voice.

Alright. His decision had been made for him. Sasuke was now firmly in the furious column and he as going to clean Naruto's clock. Sooner or later, the idiot was going to get the message!

He opens the door and pulls the blonde inside. "Alright! That's it!" He was going to show Naruto who was boss!

"Whoa!" No. There would be no whoa! "Whoa! Calm down, Sasuke!" He was not a freaking horse and no, the Uchiha in question didn't care how many freaking horse innuendoes the blonde could come up with!

Sasuke shoves Naruto onto the couch and quickly straddles his hips. One way or another, this was going to end tonight. And then, he could go back to his normal life and he could forget all about Naruto's gorgeous blue eyes and that he smelled really fucking nice for some reason. Yeah!

"You really don't know how to take no for an answer." Sasuke scowls at him. "I got the roses and the bridle." He raises an eyebrow. "I would ask what in God's name possessed you to send me a bridle, but I also read the note."

Naruto laughs and smiles up at him sheepishly. "It was pretty awesome, huh?" It was cute in a perverted way, but Sasuke knew better to say that.

He wasn't going to lead the brewery owner on. Sasuke was better than that. He was an Uchiha and Uchihas didn't lie!

"That's really not the point." Sasuke would have to be blunt about this. "Naruto, I have a life here. You should be back at your brewery."

Naruto shakes his head. "Bastard, I am not leaving you like this." Like what?! "You've had too much vodka and we all know what happens when you're had too much vodka."

Sasuke twitches. "Fuck you!" He just had to go and bring THAT little gem up.

This elicited a rather undesired response. "Well you know, I prefer the term making love or sex, but yeah! All you had to do was ask!" Well at least that's what Sasuke was desperately trying to tell himself anyway.

Sasuke really should be responsible. He should tell Naruto to go home again and he definitely should not be getting turned on from straddling the hot blonde underneath him. That's exactly what he should do. So why wasn't he doing it?!

* * *

Meanwhile Jugo shakes his head as he calls Suigetsu. It was time to touch base with his partner. Unfortunately, he had a sinking feeling that the other man had gotten himself into trouble somehow.

 _Suigetsu, are you there? ~ Jugo._

Fifteen agonizing minutes later, he finally received a response. Of course, Jugo knew in the grand scheme of things, fifteen minutes wasn't that long. Still, it was a relief to see Suigetsu answer.

 _ **Yeah. I'm here. It's a really long story, but everything is okay. At least I think it is. ~ Suigetsu.**_

Why didn't that sound terribly reassuring to Jugo? He didn't know if everything was okay? He only thought it?!

 _Suigetsu, what the Hell happened now? And don't bother to half-ass it, because I will find out and you really wouldn't like me when I'm angry. You know what happens when I get angry! ~ Jugo._

Seriously, he didn't now how to explain it, but there were times when Jugo would just completely black out and lose control. And unfortunately, during these times, he often got violent. It had taken him years to mostly get his rages under control!

 _ **Alright. Chill! Chill! Well, I ran into Sasuke at this nightclub. I kinda spilled the beans, but he had some drinks. I took him back to his hotel room. Nothing happened. I let his boyfriend know that he was there. ~ Suigetsu.**_

Jugo groans. Now, Itachi and Sasuke were never going to trust him again. There was no way that they'd be able to complete their assignment. That and he felt bad for the brothers.

The Akatsuki were relentless. They wanted Mangekyo Wines and one way or another, they were going to get it. Most likely, even if they had to resort to unsavory methods. That thought made Jugo shiver with dread.

 _You're such an idiot. I'm going to get in touch with Orochimaru. He'll probably take the news better from me than he would from you! ~ Jugo._

A bit better, but not much. Orochimaru was going to absolutely lose it when found out what had happened. Of course, Jugo was going to edit out some of the more scandalous details.

Who Sasuke shared a hotel room with was frankly none of Orochimaru's business. Jugo didn't like the guy, but Orochimaru had helped him get his rages under control. So in a way, he felt indebted to the other man.

 _ **Thanks! You're a real lifesaver! ~ Suigetsu.**_

There were days when the gentle giant was tempted to resort to his old ways and black out. Suigetsu really did love to taste his patience. The man was honestly lucky that Jugo hadn't turned him into a piñata yet.

 _Whatever. I'll handle it. ~ Jugo._

* * *

Back in the city, Mikoto and Fugaku were now working on the final details for the Charity Ball. This would be the thirteenth of its kind that they had hosted. Every year was a new theme. This year was conservation!

"Fugaku?" Though Mikoto had noticed her husband was rather distracted.

That wasn't like him. This had to be the third or fourth time that she had called out to him, only to get no response. "Fugaku?!" That wasn't a good sign.

Still no response. Hmm. Why was he frowning and looking at Sasuke's picture so much. That couldn't be a good sign. She was going to have to resort to drastic measures.

"Orocohimaru in a pink tutu!" Upon hearing THAT, Fugaku choked on whatever he had been drinking.

Fugaku knew who Orochimaru was because he was a member of the Akatsuki. The Akatsuki were one of the few business organizations that could really rival Sharingan. Thankfully, they tended to specialize in other areas.

"Mikoto! Are you trying to give me a heart attack or to make me vomit?" Well no. "Why would you say such a thing?" She just wanted his attention.

"I was asking what type of refreshments do you think that we should serve at the charity ball." She sighs and sits in his lap. "Though what is distressing you so much?"

She was going to get to the bottom of this. It was a little known fact, but Uchiha women were even more stubborn than Uchiha men. And that was certainly saying something!

"Well it's not so much a what as a who." Fugaku sighs.

Ah. He was going to be difficult. "Fugaku Uchiha, if you don't tell me what is going on right now, I will remind you that I have ways of making you talk." Her husband knew this was not an idle threat.

The other Uchiha sighs heavily and appears to concede defeat. "I have reason to believe Itachi is going to end up keeping the vineyard and if something doesn't change, Sasuke might eventually join him." Oh so that's what this was about.

Mikoto would have preferred their sons to stay at Sharingan Corp. Of course, that's what she wanted, but they were also adults. If they wanted to run a vineyard/winery, that was their decision.

Obviously, her husband was having a much harder time coming to gripes with that though. They were going to be empty nesters very soon at this rate. She didn't know whether to look forward to the peace and quiet or to be saddened by that fact.

No matter how old they got, they would always be her babies! "And is that such a bad thing?" Though she knew when it was time to cut the umbilical cord.

"They've both got such bright futures in the family business ahead of them." Fugaku shakes his head. "And I think that most of this is because Itachi has feelings for the red head and the blonde is borderline stalking Sasuke." What?!

He was going to have to elaborate on that last part. Mikoto was perfectly fine with Itachi finding a boyfriend. What she was not fine with though was someone stalking Sasuke!

"What do you mean by borderline stalking?" She glares at him, demanding an answer.

He shakes his head. "I saw the package that was delivered to his hotel room." Package? What package?! "A hundred roses. It looked like a damn rainbow." Well that was mildly amusing.

Her husband was upset because someone sent Sasuke roses? Honestly, what a silly thing to be upset about! It was sweet.

"You're a strange man sometimes." She shakes her head. "That's nice that someone sent Sasuke roses and if our sons have feelings for these men, that's something we should encourage. We should encourage them to follow their hearts." Mikoto smiles as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"You're only saying that because you want grandchildren." Fugaku chuckles.

Well that was partially true. "Well of course, I want grandchildren! But I do mean it!" She did want adorable grandchildren, but that wasn't the full story! "They deserve a chance to be happy and if that is with a couple of sexy cowboys, who are we to stand in the way of true love?" (And if it happened to get her some adorable grandchildren, that was all the better)!

She'd make Fugaku see reason eventually! After all, she was far more stubborn than him. That and she wasn't afraid to fight dirty!


	12. Chapter 12

Something About Country Boys

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 12

Naruto knew that this was probably a bad idea, but he couldn't help it. Sasuke was straddling his hips and honestly, who could possibly resist that? Having a sexy lawyer straddling your hips? Yeah. That's what he thought.

"You really do send a lot of mixed signals." Naruto grabs Sasuke by his collar and pulls him closer. "But I think you protest too much." And with that, he gives in.

He gives into his desire to kiss Sasuke. It wasn't their first kiss, but it still felt that way. Naruto didn't even mind the taste of vodka. That was probably because he liked it to begin with, but whatever.

Sasuke was kissing him back and now grinding against him. That was all that mattered. God, did that last part feel good.

"And you're a bit of a stalker." Sasuke murmurs between heated kisses.

He wasn't usually. Naruto generally backed off pretty quickly, if someone didn't seem interested. Sasuke definitely was interested though.

The sexy Uchiha could feign his protests all he wanted, but the way that Sasuke kissed him said it all. Not to mention, the half formed erection that Naruto could feel brushing up against him. Sasuke _did_ want him. He was just being really stubborn!

Naruto shakes his head. "Only for you and you don't seem to mind." He grinds against him. "At least a certain part of you doesn't." He smirks.

Sasuke groans in response and reclaims the blonde's lips. No one had ever been able to kiss Naruto like his Bastard could. It was like a wildfire of lust or something. The way their tongues would battle for dominance and the other man would try to explore every corner of them mouth.

They were both so competitive though. Neither really wanted to give in and that made it so much better. He'd never gotten so turned on from kissing before. Of course, the ranch owner had always liked kissing, but this was different. This was on a completely different level!

"You really are such a loser sometimes." Sasuke shakes his head as he breaks the kiss, trying to catch his breath. "You're lucky that you're cute."

Well Naruto was hoping for a stronger adjective than cute. Then again, beggars couldn't be choosers. That and Sasuke was pretty intoxicated. Maybe, his vocabulary wasn't up to its usual standard.

They couldn't be more different. Sasuke wanted to be a big fancy lawyer and Naruto was quite happy working on his brewery. His brewery that his parents had given him.

Minato and Kushina were currently enjoying a second Honeymoon. His parents were set for life because they were major shareholders in the brewery. They never had to work another day in their life and could just enjoy a very early retirement.

"Well as long as you think I'm cute, I guess that's all that matters." He smirks and leaves a trail of kisses along Sasuke's throat.

Loving it when the other man groans. That and how easy it was to mark up Sasuke's neck. It was as pale as ivory, which meant it was something of a blank canvas for Naruto to cover with lovebites. That thought sent fire through his blood.

Sasuke laughs and pulls away long enough to yank Naruto's shirt off. " Itachi might have had a point." His eyes slide up and down the blonde's naked torso with appreciation. "There really is something about country boys. You don't usually see muscles like that on people who work at desk jobs."

That made Naruto smiles. "Yeah." He probably shouldn't have done it, but he tugs off Sasuke's shirt too. "You seem to be an exception though."

Definitely a thoroughbred. Damn. Those were some nice abs and biceps, especially for a city slicker.

"Mostly martial arts and I used the University's gym." Obviously. "You've been making a lot of horse jokes." Well yeah. His best friend owned a horse ranch, of course, he was going to make horse jokes. "Let's see if you're hung like one." Oh boy!

* * *

Elsewhere Orochimaru was furious. He couldn't believe this! He was going to ring Suigetsu's neck!

"He **told** Sasuke about our plans?!" That little backstabber!

Jugo sighs and nods. "It wasn't going to work anyway." He shakes his head as he looks at Orochimaru sympathetically. "Itachi calls Gaara his boyfriend and well, you should see the looks that Naruto gives Sasuke. They weren't going to be seduced."

That was true. The gentle giant might have a point there. That didn't mean that the former Akatsuki Member was happy about it though.

At the very least, the two men could have won Itachi and Sasuke over with their friendship and reasoning! They could have played the part of concerned friends and that might have been enough. Now, he was forced to start from scratch.

"This is unbelievable." He growls.

Jugo just nods his head more. Which only further served to infuriate Orochimaru even more. Why was the man being so _passive_ about this entire situation?! Didn't Jugo understand how important Mangekyo Wines was?!

To make matters worse, it looked like his associate was about to excuse himself! "I figured you had a right to know." The orange haired man shakes his head and sighs. "I'll understand if you fire Suigetsu, but I would ask you not to. Because he's my friend, but also because he's good at his job."

Orochimaru twitches at this. How could Jugo possibly defend that little traitor? He had known that Suigetsu had some sort of history with Sasuke, but he didn't think that it was enough to jeopardize his livelihood for the man! Unbelievable!

"I'll take that into consideration." Orochimaru stares at the newspaper again. "I have work to do. Make sure to purchase me a ticket for this event."

Jugo nods and takes the paper, reading over the headline. "The Sharingan Charity Ball?" He blinks in surprise.

Of course. It was his best chance to get one of the brothers alone. Though now, Orochimaru wasn't entirely sure which would be the other brother. Suigetsu might have done something extremely foolish like telling Sasuke w hat he looked like. He couldn't be sure of anything at this point!

"Yes, the Sharingan Charity Ball." Orochimaru confirms.

Jugo sighs and looks at him warily. "Perhaps, it would be best just to focus on other targets." The other man had clearly lost his mind.

Orochimaru may no longer be an Akatsuki, but he never gave up. That was just one of the many reasons why he was so enormously successful!

"Never!" He shakes his head. "This target is of vital importance." The elderly man smirks. "Nothing will make the Akatsuki pay more for their decision to fire me than this. It's highly symbolic."

Jugo blinks. Oh right. Orochimaru hadn't informed the Big Lug that he had been let go yet. Well this was terribly awkward.

"You're no longer working for the Akatsuki?" Jugo looks at him in shock.

Orochimaru nods. Oh well. The truth was going to come out sooner or later. "Don't worry, you're employment with them is still ongoing, but now you will have two jobs." Orochimaru smirks. "Working for them and for me and trust me when I say that I'm wiling to pay you far more to be my spy than they would pay you to be their errand boy."

* * *

Meanwhile Itachi and Gaara had just finished their meal and Gaara was explaining more about Mangekyo's operations to his lover. The red head took great pride in this task because he was able to help Itachi with something. Itachi Uchiha didn't strike him as the sort of man who often needed help with anything.

"Hmm." Itachi glances over the reports. "When will our employees be arriving back?" He figured they had headed home as a gesture of respect towards Madara.

A theory which Gaara didn't have any problem confirming. "We probably should call them." He shakes his head and sighs. "You saw some of them at the funeral, but most were too heartbroken to actually say anything.

Itachi nods as he glances over the personal file. "It looks like a mix between people who have been here for years and kids looking for summer jobs." Madara certainly had diverse tastes.

Some of these people were clearly experts in their fields and some were just kids that he might as well have gone to a high school and drug them of to the fields, Gaara knew. Actually, that's exactly what Madara had done in some cases.

 _"You're kinda crazy" Naruto laughed at Madara._

 _The Wine Tycoon merely shrugged in response. Though Gaara kinda had to agree with Naruto on this one. The man was essentially picking up high school and college kids to work in his vineyard and winery._

 _Madara shook his head. "Those who need the job most, well do the best job." He smirked. "Sometimes you need experience, but never underestimate the Power of Youth." He paused. "And don't tell Guy or Lee that I said that."_

 _Gaara chuckled in response. Guy and Lee were two of Madara's employees. They were insane. The two of them could probably do the work of at least ten field hands each. He didn't know whether to admire their work ethic or to be afraid, very, very afraid._

 _"Naruto is right, you're kinda insane." The red head laughed. "But I'm sure they appreciate the chance, all the same."_

 _Madara nodded as he gestured to the beautiful vineyards. "When one is as lucky as I am, you have to spread it around or else karma will come back and bite you in the ass."_

 _"Gross!" Naruto made a face. "I don't want to think about your wrinkly ass, Old Man!"_

 _Well as expected the Uchiha didn't take too well to his hindquarters being called wrinkly. No matter how accurate the description was. Well at least Gaara assumed it was accurate. It wasn't as if he was going to verify Naruto's statement!_

 _"You should have more respect for your elders!" He growled. "Where did I put my cane?"_

 _Uh oh. This wouldn't end well. Madara had a cane, but he never used it. Well other than to whack people when he got annoyed. That was actually one of his favorite hobbies, other than skirt chasing. Naruto was in very, very big trouble now!_

"It was." Gaara nods. "Madara had a habit of helping kids get their first job or those who were down on their luck." He smirks. "Your Great Uncle always claimed it was because it ensured loyalty and he was really manipulating them, but deep down it was because he was a big softie."

Itachi laughs at that. "Yes, that does seem to run in the family." He smiles at Gaara. "Perhaps, that why I'm so fond of my sexy red panda!" Damn it. That nickname apparently wasn't going away, anytime soon!

* * *

Back at the hotel, Sasuke was still on top of Naruto and kissing him. The blonde was _such_ a good kisser. It should really be illegal to kiss like that.

Naruto also looked really hot underneath him. Well he always looked hot, but that was besides the point. Besides, he could feel Naruto starting to get hard and it felt so fucking good when the other man started grinding back against him.

That's why he had reached for the brewery owner's zipper. "Sasuke, wait!" He wanted more of this feeling.

He only dimly registers that Naruto was protesting at first. "Wait?" He blinks in confusion. "You're kidding me, right?" Naruto was going to play coy now?!

After the roses, the bridle, and those suggestive letters? After the blonde had hunted him down like this? NOW, the other man wanted to be shy? Unbelievable!

"Not really." Naruto sighs as he looks up at Sasuke and flips him. "Believe me, I want to." Oh. So that was it.

Naruto wanted to top. Hmm. Decisions, decisions. Sasuke was used to being the more aggressive partner. Still, the blonde was gorgeous and a really good kisser. He was also really hard.

"I'll let you top this time and after that, it's negotiable." So he'd make an exception.

Naruto blinks in surprise. Sasuke knew why. He probably hadn't expected him to hand over the reigns that easily. Well in his defense, he was really turned on and he'd had too much vodka.

Naruto knew damn well what happened to Sasuke when he had too much vodka! "Well that's good to know." Sasuke was damn sure it was! "But we still shouldn't do more than make out when you're drunk."

What?! Naruto couldn't possibly be serious! The blonde had been chasing his ass for weeks and now, he wanted to pretend that he was some sort of Boy Scout?!

"Naruto, I am NOT drunk!" Maybe, he was a bit tipsy, but Sasuke was fully in control of himself. "So if you've got some sort of stupid idea that you're being chivalrous here by not taking advantage of me, you're wrong." Because Sasuke was totally and completely in control of himself. He just happened to be feeling rather frisky. That was all!

Naruto shakes his head. "I'm really sorry about this, but I'd rather not have you blame it on the vodka." He was not going to blame it on the vodka!

Sasuke liked Naruto. It was just, well he had reason for not acting on it! Important reasons! Which for some reason were rather difficult to remember now!

Probably because he was torn between anger and arousal. A heady combination. If he sucked Naruto off, he'd probably be more cooperative. Hmm. That was an idea!

He reaches for the zipper again. "I'm not going to blame it on the alcohol." Honestly, he had learned his lesson at University. Sasuke knew when he was and wasn't fully in control of himself.

"I can't believe I'm doing this, but yeah." Naruto flips them and somehow manages to hold down struggling Sasuke long enough to tie him up with the bridal.

Sasuke blinks at that. "You didn't tell me that you were into bondage?" He tilts his head as though considering it.

Well maybe. It had never been one of his major kinks. Though Sasuke wouldn't have said no to a pair of fuzzy handcuffs. A bridle was a new one though.

"It's not!" Naruto pauses. "Well maybe, a little. But that is so not the point." He sighs and takes out his zone.

Sasuke watches Naruto in confusion. What the Hell was that blonde doing now? Shouldn't he be getting rid of his clothes?

"Yeah, Gaara would you mind coming here?" Naruto sighs. "It's a long story, but I'm at the Rosewood Hotel with Sasuke" The blonde takes a deep breath and continues. "And I've got him tide up. Would you mind driving up and undoing his restraints? I'll be on my way home by the time you get here and that should give him time to cool off."

Sasuke twitches. "I'm going to kick your ass when I get out of this damn thing, Loser!" He really was!

That damn blonde. Chasing him around for weeks and when Sasuke finally said yes, he tied him up and called his friend to free him while he made a get away? What the flying fuck was that about?!

* * *

At that moment, Itachi watches as Gaara picks up his phone. One minute, they had been discussing employees and the next, the red head was answering a call. Oh well.

The red head looked about something though and that was starting to alarm Itachi a bit. "You're kidding me, right?" His lover normally wasn't that easily flustered.

"No, I'm not kidding you." Gaara puts the call on speaker and motions to Itachi not to say anything. "Room 328 at the Rosewood. Just don't tell Itachi." About Naruto's strange sex games? Like Hell, he was going to pass up this opportunity! "I don't wanna embarrass the Bastard anymore than I already have."

Itachi blinks. Well it seemed like Naruto had patched things up with Sasuke. Rather splendidly, if the fact that the was in his foolish little brother's hotel room was any indication.

"Yeah." Gaara sighs. "I can be there in about an hour." Did Itachi even want to know?

Naruto sighs in relief. "Thanks, Gaara." Curiosity was quickly getting the better of him though. "You're a real lifesaver."

"Of course." Gaara shakes his head in disbelief. "Well I better get going. I'd rather not keep the poor guy waiting all night." And with that, he hangs up on his friend.

Itachi raises an eyebrow. His sexy red panda wasn't going anywhere, until he elaborated on what the Hell was going on with his brother and Naruto. And they both knew it.

"Well?" No further prompting was necessary.

Gaara shakes his head. "Well I'm not exactly sure what happened, but it appears that somehow Naruto has tied Sasuke up in a bridle and wants me to come and undo your brother's restraints." Uh huh.

"Sasuke had too much to drink." Itachi could see it now. "Naruto was there and my little brother was foolish." The blonde had acted honorable. "Your friend somehow withstood the temptation of having an Uchiha come onto them and tied him up when Sasuke persisted."

How that was possible, Itachi really didn't know. Honestly, Naruto should be given some sort of Gold Medal for his restraint. He could only imagine his foolish little brother had done this time.

Though he knew Sasuke well enough to get the general idea. Not that Itachi wanted details. It was just his job as Sasuke's older brother to look out for him.

Gaara nods in understanding. "That sounds accurate enough." He sighs and shakes his head again. "Well I better go. Just pretend that you never heard anything about this." Right.

That was going to be difficult. Itachi could tease Sasuke about this until they were Madara's age, if he really wanted to. Still, that would be cruel and it would also be counterproductive.

His brother was a proud individual. If he was teased over something like this, that would just make him less likely to accept the reality of the situation. The reality that Sasuke liked Naruto and that in the end, he wasn't going to stay in the city.

"I didn't hear a word." Itachi smirks.

Gaara smiles and kisses Itachi. "That's as good boy." Itachi smiles and kisses back. "And when I get back, I'll reward you for your most excellent behavior.

Itachi chuckles. "Woof! Woof!" He'd never say no to a reward.

That much was obvious as the red head headed off. Damn. Gaara had a fine ass. There was just something about that ass in a pain of blue jeans that was utterly irresistible! Itachi wasn't sure what it was, but he liked it a lot!

* * *

Back at Akatsuki Headquarters, Pain had called an Emergency Meeting. He wasn't happy about it, but it had to be done. Everyone had to be briefed on the Orochimaru Situation.

That was what he was calling it in his head. The Orochimaru Situation. As much as he was loathed to admit it, Orochimaru could be a thorn in their side, if he wanted to be.

"Pain, what's going on?" Konan looks at him with concern.

Orochimaru was highly intelligent, wealthy, and knew all about their business operations. He could be a rather formidable foe, if he wanted to be. Of course, he was at a disadvantage as he'd start out as a one man operation.

Still, cash could quickly compensate for that. He'd be able to hire an elite team quickly. Orochimaru wouldn't be able to match them in terms of size, but he didn't have to. It was perfectly possible for him to cut into their profits without overtaking them and the man knew it.

He sighs and looks at them all warily. "I was forced to let Mr. Sannin go." Despite all that, Pain felt that he had made the right decision. Orochimaru was becoming a liability and the Akatsuki didn't keep liabilities around.

Hidan blinks. "You fucking fired Orochimaru?!" Indeed. He had.

Pain merely nods his head in confirmation. As expected, chaos immediately erupted. They all knew what this meant. If they didn't, they wouldn't have been there in the first place.

To be an Akatsuki meant that you were intelligent enough to analyze business situations quickly. In this case, they all knew what Orochimaru was capable of. Naturally, there was a bit of panic. That was only to be expected.

"Calm down!" Things were bad when Deidara was the voice of reason. "Yeah?!" Really, bad.

"Alright. Let's think about this logically." Sasori sighs.

Yes, logically. That was the ticket. They had been through worse situations than this!

Kisame shakes his head. "Orochimaru isn't the type to just ride off into the sunset." True enough. "He ain't gonna take this shit laying down." Sadly, Pain couldn't dispute the accuracy of that statement.

"He's going to go after Mangekyo Wines." Zetus sighs.

He also couldn't argue against that statement. Still, he liked their odds on that project. Orochimaru had only gotten fired in the first place because he had royally screwed that deal up.

Kazuku shrugs, seemingly not that concerned. "The guy asked to buy it before Madara was even buried, even I have more tact than that." And that was certainly saying something, Pain muses to himself!

He glances at Konan. The woman who he loved more than anything and the only person at this table that he knew could truly challenge him in business. If anyone could come up with a suitable solution, it would be her.

"For Orochimaru, this isn't about money." His beloved did have a knack for stating the obvious. "This is about pride. So if we can buy out Mangekyo, then he'll likely go away quietly."

Indeed. There was just one question that remained. How were they going to do that?

"And how do you propose we do that?" Kakuzu looks at her.

Konan sighs and shakes her head. "I don't like it, but we can offer them double the going rate and promise to donate a hundred million dollars to their charity ball." She smiles slyly. "After all, who could turn down a donation of that size?"

That was brilliant! Pain knew that there was a reason that he loved this woman. Well besides her good looks! Konan really did have the most beautiful eyes and legs that he had ever seen. Wait. He was getting distracted.

"Very well." He nods. "That's exactly what we'll do then."


	13. Chapter 13

Something About Country Boys

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 13

Sasuke still couldn't believe the gall of that man! Winding him up like that and then tying him up in a bridle. And to make matters worse, now Sasuke had to explain to his father why he was so angry and heading back to the country!

"I've never seen you like this." Fugaku blinks. "Tell me what on Earth is going on and why are you heading back to Mangekyo this early?" Not that Sasuke could blame his father for being confused.

Hell he was still confused. Though he knew one thing, Naruto was going to pay for his little stunt and so was Gaara. He'd have to go easier on the red head though. Itachi would never forgive him otherwise.

So Gaara had something of an insurance policy. That policy was known as Itachi Uchiha. Aka his brother. Naruto didn't though and that was just one of the many reasons why that cocktease was going to suffer!

Damn it. Now, he had to come up with some kind of answer. "It's Naruto." Sasuke pauses as he considers the best way to phrase this. "He's being a dick. So I have to go back and kick his ass." Sasuke nods as if this made perfect sense.

Fugaku shakes his head in amusement. "So far, I've seen that boy send you a hundred roses and for some strange reason a bridle?" Yeah. That was right. "I'm not sure why you have to punish him for such a thing. Though I am completely at a loss for why he sent you the bridle." Yeah.

Sasuke wasn't going to explain the damn bridle. Oh and he most definitely wasn't going to explain that the blonde had tied him up in it! Yeah. No way in Hell.

"It's Naruto." Sasuke shrugs as if that explained everything. "He can be weird sometimes." That was putting it mildly.

His father shakes his head again. "Well at first I thought it was a mild flirtation." Fugaku obviously felt as uncomfortable about this entire affair as Sasuke did, but he was apparently going to press on anyway. "He's gotten under your skin though and that can only mean one thing." Uh huh?

Sasuke was almost afraid to ask, but he would. Mostly because his father was going to tell him one way or another. So he might as well deal with whatever Fugaku Uchiha was about to say now. It was better than putting it off till later.

"And what does it mean? Because Sasuke sure as Hell didn't know.

Fugaku smiles as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You're in love." He nods sagely. "It's not real love until you've contemplated strangling them at least half a dozen times."

 _THUD!_ Sasuke lands flat on his ass at his father's assessment. L-Love?! It looked like he wasn't the only one who had had too much vodka!

Actually, his father preferred scotch, but moving on. Sasuke didn't know what he felt for Naruto exactly, but he knew it was strong. Right now though, he was more focused on punishing the blonde.

"You're missing the point." Sasuke nods. "He's got to be punished."

Fugaku chuckles at this and nods. "Well from what you've told me of this one, he's a very old fashioned Country Boy minus his interesting choices in gifts." Yeah. That was true.

"That's accurate." Though Sasuke wasn't sure how that was going to help him.

His father smirks though and suddenly the youngest Uchiha was actually a little afraid. "So the idea of wearing a suit is probably akin to torture for him." The Japanese Businessman smiles. "So invite him to the Charity Ball. Do ensure that he knows his attendance is mandatory, of course."

Sasuke blinks. That was actually fucking brilliant! There was nothing that would drive Naruto crazier than mingling with the bluebloods in a suit.

"Father, you're a genius!" He nods his head energetically and heads to the door. "That's exactly what I'll do." And with that, he darts off.

Fugaku shakes his head in amusement. "Well it looks like Mikoto will get those grandchildren sooner than expected, after all." Which boded well for him. A happy Mikoto meant a happy Fugaku!

* * *

Back on the farm, Itachi watches in amusement as Naruto paces. The blonde knew that he was in trouble. Big trouble!

"Naruto, will you relax?" Gaara raises an eyebrow as he sits on the couch and runs his fingers through Itachi's hair. "Sasuke is absolutely crazy about you." That much was obvious. "He's not going to actually hurt you."

Itachi found that debatable. His brother's temper was legendary and he had been rather humiliated to say the least. Though he didn't want to say that and make the brewery owner even more anxious.

"He's going to be so pissed though!" Naruto flails as Itachi leans into Gaara's touch.

His panda really did have the most soothing touch. If the eldest Uchiha Brother could purr, he would be purring now. He could only hope that at some point, Sasuke and Naruto would stop being so foolish and just make it official at some point.

They were missing out on so much. This was especially true when it came to the hot tub. Though that was probably a good thing. Itachi wasn't really sure he wanted anyone else using the hot tub that wasn't him or Gaara!

Itachi tries his best not to laugh at Naruto, but it was a futile endeavor. "Yes, he is." One couldn't not laugh at that look on his face. "Though in all honesty, he'll slap you around a bit. It's not as if he's actually going to kill you over a bit of rather creative bondage."

"It wasn't bondage!" Naruto protests.

Upon hearing that, Itachi and Gaara both laugh. It was most certainly close enough and Naruto was out of his mind, if he sincerely thought that they were ever going to let him forget this incident.

Of course, Itachi would keep his promise. He wouldn't embarrass Sasuke over this. That didn't mean that he and Gaara weren't going to tease Naruto about this incident without mercy for the rest of their lives though!

His sexy red head laughs and kisses Itachi's cheek. "Hmm. That's something we haven't done before?" At this, Itachi raises an eyebrow.

"What haven't we done before?" This could prove rather interesting.

The ranch owner smiles slyly at him. "Bondage." Gaara pauses for a moment and then adds as an afterthought. "What are your thoughts on fuzzy handcuffs?"

Hmm. Fuzzy handcuffs. The idea did have potential. Itachi would have to think that suggestion over.

"I'll consider this matter and give you my executive decision as soon as I have reached one." He smirks.

The fact that the blonde looked ridiculously uncomfortable about their pillow talk, well that only further served to amuse Itachi. Naruto was just delightfully easy to tease.

The sapphire eyed cowboy shakes his head. "Right." And starts edging towards the door. "I think I'm gonna leave you guys be for a bit." Uh huh. "You need some couple time! So bye!"

Of course, Naruto was Naruto. He didn't wait for a response before darting off. He really was foolish which was why he was such a perfect match for his foolish little brother.

"So about those handcuffs?" Itachi looks at Gaara with a smirk.

* * *

Later that day, Sasuke returns to Mankgeyo Wines. From there, it was a relatively short journey to the brewery. Not that Naruto knew this of course.

He was innocently checking on some of the whiskey, when out of nowhere. He was fucking tackled! Yes, _tackled_!

"AHHH!" Naturally, he started fighting viciously against his attacker!

It was no use though. He was soon bound by a bridle? Wait. What? That last part didn't make any sense. Unless…

"You deserved that and you know it." It was Sasuke. "I can't believe you actually had the gall to tie me up after coming onto me for weeks!" Oh yeah. He was in trouble! "AND you had Gaara come and get me!" Big trouble!

Yeah. It sounded pretty bad when the Uchiha put it that way. Naruto had been pursuing him doggedly ever since he showed up at Mangekyo. In his defense though, it would have been wrong to take advantage of the lawyer inthat situation.

It was probably the hardest thing that he had ever done, but the blonde had resisted temptation. "Sasuke, you had way too much to drink." He deserved a medal really! "It wouldn't have been right."

Sasuke raises an eyebrow at that. "Loser, remind me again what you do for a living?" The Uchiha gestures around them at the barrels upon barrels of alcohol surrounding the two almost lovers.

"I'm a brewery owner?" The sapphire eyed man laughs nervously.

The lawyer nods his head as if that was some sort of grand pronouncement. Naruto didn't get it. What did that have to do with anything?

"So you're telling me that a _brewery owner_ has an issue with sex, if their partner has had a few shots of vodka?" Sasuke stares at him incredulously.

Oh. Well, when Sasuke put it that way…it was rather ironic. "It wouldn't have been fair. Besides, I didn't want you to blame it on the alcohol afterwards." God, he really wanted to take advantage of Sasuke, but Naruto wasn't that reckless.

He knew exactly what would have happened, if he did. Something that the blonde would have regretted. Probably for the rest of his life, no matter how amazing he was sure the sex would have been.

"Right. Well I'm stone cold sober now." Well that was good. "So you don't have to worry about that. Now, onto your punishment." Uh oh.

His punishment?! Why was he getting punished for doing the right thing?! Sasuke was sending a lot of conflicting signals!

Despite that, Naruto found himself gulping rather nervously. "What do you mean by my punishment exactly?" This might not end well.

"You're going with me to the Sharingan Charity Ball." Naruto blinks at that. "And you're wearing a suit."

Sasuke's version of a punishment was a date?! That was really weird. Wait. What was that last part?

"A suit?" The blonde whines up at him. "I only wear those for weddings or funerals though!"

The Uchiha shakes his head. Apparently, he wasn't going to let the brewery owner get off that easily. Damn it!

"And now you wear them at charity balls." Sasuke smirks. "You should have thought of that before you tied me up in a bridle and I had to explain that shit to my father!"

Oh man! That was pretty bad! Sasuke had to explain the bondage to his dad? Harsh.

Harsh, but pretty damn funny though! "How'd he take it?" Naruto laughs.

"You don't wanna know." Sasuke glares at him. "So you better get your ass a suit, if you don't have one."

Well the brewery owner hated wearing suits, still Sasuke would probably look pretty hot in his. That and it was kinda a date. He could work with this.

He'd just have to find something suitable for a charity ball. "Alright. Alright." Maybe, Gaara would have an idea.

* * *

Meanwhile Pain was in his office and preparing fro the ball. Konan seemed to find this amusing in a way. She wouldn't stop making comments about it.

"I'll have to get my glass slippers ready." She laughs into his ear.

He chuckles and tries to shoo her away. "Woman, I am trying to order the tickets." Well he was glad that she was amused by the affair, unfortunately, this wasn't just about pleasure.

This was business. It was the principle of the thing now. Normally, he wouldn't have invested this much in any singular company that wasn't worth at least a billion dollars. This wasn't normally though.

"Yes, I need…" He pauses as he counts inside his head. "I need…" Konan, himself, Sasori, Deidara, Kakuzu, Kisame, and Hidan. "Seven tickets for the ball."

This was a matter of pride. Pain simply couldn't allow Orochimaru to buy Mangekyo out from underneath them. It would embolden the man far too much. Clearly, this was something that needed to be addressed as quickly as possible.

"Seven tickets?" He hears the voice on the other end of the line say.

He nods his head in agreement. "Yes, seven." Which was exactly what he was going to do.

"Alright, I'll mail out the tickets now." The voice sounded painfully cheerful. "Have a good day, Sir." It was disgusting really.

Konan laughs and sits in his lap. "Well at least we don't have a midnight curfew and it's unlikely that our limo will turn into a pumpkin." He chuckles at that and kisses her.

He loved this woman. She was such a sarcastic thing sometimes. Though he supposed that was part of the appeal really.

* * *

A few days later, Gaara had to admit that he was rather impressed. This hotel was even more beautiful now that he had gotten a better look at it. The ballroom truly was like something straight out of a fairytale.

Beautiful. With its snowy white ceiling, golden chandeliers, and lavender walls it was stunning. The handsome carpet was midnight black with golden spirals on it. Not to mention the elegant seating arrangements.

"Wow." He looks around in awe as they step inside.

There were dozens of oval shaped tables everywhere with gorgeous ivory cream colored cloths and pristine white chairs that resembled clouds slightly in their elegant softness. Expensive champagne glasses and silverware were laid out on every table along with a vase red and pink carnations.

Itachi smiles and kisses Gaara's cheek. "Yes, it's beautiful." He takes the red head's hand and smiles slyly. "Though not nearly as beautiful as you."

"You couldn't be anymore cliché." Sasuke rolls his eyes playfully.

Gaara laughs softly at Itachi's twitching. Well he couldn't blame his lover. Sasuke was asking for it.

Speaking of asking for it though. There was some rather lovely music playing. "Would you like to dance?" He smiles at Itachi.

"I'd love to." Itachi walks off with Gaara, wrapping his hand around the red head's ass. "Hopefully, my foolish little brother and Naruto don't destroy the place in our absence.

* * *

At that same moment, Orochimaru walks into the ballroom and looks around. He smirks when he sees a familiar head of red hair. Gaara. Well according to Jugo and Suigetsu, where there was Gaara there was Itachi.

It was just going to be annoying to separate the two. The Uchiha might not recognize him on sight, but Gaara would. Once that happened, things would get very complicated.

That was alright though. "Patience is a virtue." He slinks closer, making sure to stay just out of their sight.

The second that Itachi was alone, Orochimaru would speak to him. That way, his chances of success would be far greater. Unfortunately, the red head and Itachi were obviously heading towards the dance floor. This might take awhile.

* * *

"So I wore the suit." Naruto smiles at Sasuke. "Am I forgiven now?"

Sasuke raises an eyebrow. "You're out of your mind, if you think that you're going to be forgiven that easily." Besides, it was orange!

Naruto had decided to wear an orange suit to a charity ball! Granted, Naruto looked disturbingly hot in it, but still! Who did that?!

The blonde sighs as he pulls Sasuke into his arms and begins to sway to the music with him. "Awe come on. I've been a good boy today." Maybe.

The brewery owner had gone to the charity ball with him. He was on his way towards making up for his almost unforgivable behavior. That didn't mean that Sasuke was going to make it easy for him though. Hell no!

"Yes, you have." Sasuke wraps his arms around the sapphire eyed man's neck. "And it's a good start, but you have a long way to go before I forgive you for being an evil cocktease." Especially, when one considered how long the blonde had been teasing him.

"Well you're the one that was playing hard to get." Naruto whines. "If you didn't do that and run off, none of that would have happened!" Yeah! This wasn't his fault! Believe it!

Sasuke raises an eyebrow at that as they dance. "Really?" He chuckles. "Is that what you're going with?"

Naruto nods his head enthusiastically. Yep. That's what he was going with! It made perfect sense to him.

* * *

That's when the Akatsuki slowly made their way inside the ballroom. To say the least, Kisame was hoping there was seafood. That and that Deidara cause a scene.

He liked a party as much as the next guy, but that guy took it to a whole nother level. Bombastic wasn't an exaggeration when it came to Deidara. Hell, even Sasori had expressed concerns about dragging Deidara along for this event.

"So where are they?" Deidara grins. "Yeah?!"

Oh boy. This was going to be a very long night. Kisame could only hope that Pain and Konan found the Uchihas soon. Otherwise, there might not be ballroom left.

* * *

About an hour later, Gaara leaves Itachi alone to go get them some punch. And after that, it didn't take long for the elder Uchiha Brother to become very, very ticked off. This damn snake!

"Yes, so I would like to apologize for my earlier behavior." Orochimaru. "It was rude of me to make an offer that soon after Madara's passing. My intentions truly were sincere though." He recognized that voice anywhere.

The man was an Akatsuki. So Itachi wasn't going to even bother to wonder how he found out about this event. What was irritating him though was the audacity of this man.

This was borderline stalking. "If you truly wish to apologize, you can do so by getting out of my sight." Obviously, he had lost his mind.

Why he believed Itachi would want anything to do with him was utterly beyond the Uchiha at the moment. It didn't matter though. He could see himself out.

"I deserve that, but I truly do wish to put your mind at ease." He smiles at him. "That's all. I thought that if I bought Mangekyo, you wouldn't have to worry about running a business that isn't in your chosen field."

His "chosen" field was economics and could be applied to any industry. "I believe that Mr. Uchiha wants you to leave him alone." A familiar voice calls out as Gaara approaches him.

Yes, Mr. Uchiha would like that very much actually! Itachi smiles at his boyfriend. His panda was also his Knight and Shining Armor at the moment.

"We were just talking, Gaara." Orochimaru assures him.

Itachi shoots Orochimaru a dirty look. "Well I'm choosing to end the conversation." This man wouldn't take no for an answer, it seemed! "If you insist on continuing it, I may have to call security."

Gaara nods in agreement. "And that's if you're lucky." He wraps his arm around Itachi's waist. "I wouldn't be nearly as lenient on you as security would be, Orochimaru."

* * *

On the other side of the room, Konan makes her way over to Sasuke. She gestures for Pain to stay behind her. It was easier that way.

She was wearing a wig. A long haired red headed wig and some contacts. Naruto probably wouldn't recognize her in this. Which is exactly what she was hoping for.

As long as she could get the card and offer to Sasuke before the blonde connected the dots, the seeds would already be sewn. "Oh no!" She crashes into Sasuke with a drink in her hand. "I'm so sorry!" On purpose of course, not that he would know that.

"Damn it!" He looks at Naruto. "Think you can go get her some napkins or something?" He looks at her apologetically. "Are you alright?"

It worked like a charm. Some things about men would never change. Most of them were more than willing to play the part of the White Knight, if given a chance.

"Yes, I think so." She smiles at him sheepishly.

Konan thanked the year she had spent as a Theatre Major for that one. She had been rather indecisive at university and had bounced around from major to major for a couple years before settling on International Business.

That year had been very useful though. Who knew that acting could be so useful in the Boardroom?

Sasuke smiles and nods. "That's good. Well at least it wasn't a hot drink." That was true.

She'd rather have champagne spilled on her than hot coffee. Coffee was something that she drank in large quantities. One had to have a lot of caffeine flowing through their system, if you wanted to keep up with the Akatsuki.

Well except for Deidara. Konan still wasn't sure what that man used to get through the day. He was so ridiculously energetic. Oh wait. She was getting off track here.

"That's true." She smiles at him. "You're Sasuke Uchiha, right?"

Sasuke simply nods at that. Though she knew why. He was the son of the CEO of Sharingan Corp. It wasn't unusual that someone might identify him on sight.

"Yes." He nods again.

"I'm Konan." She smiles at him. "My company would be very interested in buying Mangekyo Wines and willing to make a large donation to this cause, if you agree to the offer. Double the market value."

Sasuke blinks. She knew that she had just played hardball there. That was her nature though. That was the nature of all Akatsuki Members, really.

They saw something they wanted. They observed the target and then they acquired it. By any means necessary. Hopefully, this kid would just agree to her terms.

She didn't want to have to play hardball with someone who was barely out of University. "You don't waste any time." He blinks again.

She shakes her head. "No, I do not. Here is my card." The woman hands him it. "Call me. I'd be more than happy to answer any of your questions." And with that being said, Konan slips off.

It was best that way. Naruto wasn't back yet. He wouldn't be able to identify her until he saw that card. That was fine though. Sasuke would have had the seed planted. After all, one would have to be very foolish to resist such an offer.

"Hey, Bastard!" Naruto smiles at Sasuke as he bounds back over. "I got the tissues." He looks around in confusion just as Konan was slipping out of sight. "Hey, where'd she go?"

Sasuke shakes his head. "I don't know, but I imagine that we're going to find out very soon." He sighs as he looks at the card.


	14. Chapter 14

Something About Country Boys

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 14

The next day, Naruto was torn between relief, fury, and concern. Though he was happy about one thing. For the moment, Sasuke was back at Mangekyo Wines.

"So a woman gave you her business card and offered to buy us out?" Itachi raises an eyebrow at Sasuke.

More specifically, he was back and sitting in Naruto's lap. The blonde didn't really know if that made them official or not though. He doubted Sasuke even knew what he was doing at this point, but he wasn't going to complain.

Sasuke nods and sighs, resting his head on Naruto's shoulder. "And she offered to make a sizable charitable contribution as well." His almost lover looked completely exhausted.

Not that Naruto could blame him. After everything that happened since Madara's death, the other man wouldn't have been human…if he wasn't. Itachi and Sasuke had to be running on pure adrenaline at this point.

"Orochimaru also tried to jump Itachi." Gaara practically hisses.

Oh geez. That sounded bad. Really, really bad. Bad enough that Naruto's sex drive might be killed for an entire ten minutes. Well unless Sasuke did something, then it might be restored sooner.

Naruto winces at that. "Gaara, I seriously didn't need that mental image!" Really, it was pretty twisted to say the least.

"You big baby." Sasuke rolls his eyes. "Don't worry, I'll protect you from the scary businessman."

Itachi chuckles at this before Naruto could issue a retort. "Well, I guess that you've decided to stop denying your feelings for our favorite blonde then?" He looks at Sasuke with pure mirth shining in his eyes.

The elder Uchiha Brother could be a real sadistic bastard sometimes, Naruto muses to himself. He honestly had no idea how his friend could keep up with him. Though that was probably for the best.

The brewery owner was in love with Sasuke and that was that. Yeah. He knew that probably sounded crazy, but it was still true. Love didn't always care about things like logic or the duration of your relationship. That and the blonde was a big believer in Love at First Sight!

"I'm thinking about it." Sasuke smirks as he looks at Naruto. "Father says that I must be in love with the idiot, if I want to strangle him half the time." The younger Uchiha shrugs casually. "And there may be some merit to that argument. Besides, you're right about the jeans."

Naruto was pretty sure that if he was in a cartoon right now, he would be surrounded by hearts, flowers, rainbows, and sunshine! Sasuke had just said he loved him! Well sorta.

Naruto grins at Sasuke. "I knew there was a reason that I liked your Old Man." To which the Uchiha raises an elegant eyebrow incredulously.

"Since when do you like my father?" He shakes his head in amusement.

Snickering. Naruto could definitely hear snickering. Though he knew who it was coming from this time. Gaara and Itachi.

Oh well. He'd get them back for this later. Right now, he was going to focus on getting that kinda _"I love you,"_ upgraded to an old fashioned, **"I love you."**

"Since now." Naruto nods his head energetically.

Itachi was likely doing his best not to laugh, but it was obvious the other man was failing miserably. "That's wonderful news." He sighs and shakes his head. "Though I suppose that we really should focus on the more practical matter at hand."

Right. Orochimaru and Konan had tried to buy Mangekyo Wines. That was weird. Why would the Akatsuki said two of their people to ambush the brothers separately? Were they really **that** desperate?

"It's strange that two Akatsuki Members would approach you separately." Gaara shakes his head. "Seems like overkill."

Sasuke nods in agreement. "Itachi, run a search on Orochimaru." Yeah. That was probably a good idea.

Not surprisingly, the elder Uchiha Brother pulls out his laptop and immediately does the search. It was really amazing what one could find out on the Internet.

"Guys, look!" He points to the news article under the Business Section of the Konoha Times.

 _ **Industry Shakeup: Could This Spell the End of the Akatsuki?!**_

 _ **The Akatsuki has long been thought of as one of the most successful corporations in the world and this is due in large part to their company's management. The Akatsuki's Inner Circle seldom changes and has included amongst it's members for decades the following people: Nagato (more commonly referred to as Pain), Konan, Sasori, Deidara, Orochimaru, Kisame, Kakuzu, and Hidan. However there has been a major shakeup at the Akatsuki!**_

 _ **Orochimaru Sannin recently announced his departure from the group. Though his severance package was one of the largest in history, one can't help but speculate as to why he would leave so abruptly. When asked about it, Orochimaru said the following.**_

 _ **"I've greatly enjoyed my time at Akatsuki Inc, but it now time for me to try new things." When asked for clarification, he continued. "Which is why I am proud to announce the formation of my new company known as The Sound."**_

 _ **Orochimaru went on to say that the Sound will be both a business consulting service and a merger service. He hopes that his extensive business experience will help other companies become successful and merge with each other.**_

 _ **"I believe that consolidation is the future." He smiled. "That by combining our strengths, we can help produce goods and services faster, more cheaply, and of a higher quality than ever before."**_

 _ **Well it's certainly unexpected to say the least. One can't help, but wonder if another Akatsuki Member will join Orochimaru or perhaps pursue their own independent interests soon. Could this mean the end of the Akatsuki as we know it?**_

"Well that explains why cornered me." Itachi murmurs.

Naruto nods as he rereads the article. He couldn't lie. He had a very bad feeling about all of this.

* * *

Jugo and Suigetsu were touring Orochimaru's new facilities. He hadn't been able to do much yet. He'd only just purchased the building, but it was obvious the Sannin had big plans.

"What do you think of all this?" The white haired man looks at his friend, once the snake was out of earshot. "Cause I think it's pretty fucking sketchy."

Jugo couldn't really disagree. The fact that Orochimaru was forming a new company instead of just retiring struck him as odd. This wasn't about profit. This was clearly personal.

"It is strange." He nods. "The fact that he's hired you on after everything proves that he's desperate to get it off the ground and running as soon as possible."

That much was made even more obvious by the fact that Orochimaru's departure from the Akatsuki was making big waves in the business world. If he had just claimed he was retiring, the fuss probably would have died down fairly quickly. After all, Orochimaru was not a young man. It was expected that he would be retiring soon to a certain degree.

Suigetsu laughs nervously and looks around. "Yeah. I thought he might actually try to order a hit on me, when he found out that I told Sassy the truth." Sadly, Jugo had thought the same.

"Believe me, I considered it." An all too familiar voice calls out.

That voice made both Jugo and Suigetsu nearly jump out of their skin. It was really freaky sometimes, how silently Orochimaru could move. It was like he was a ninja or something. No one ever heard him coming until it was too late.

Suigetsu apparently didn't have any survival instincts though. "Shit!" He jumps again. "Stop doing that! It's way creepy!"

Well Jugo thought the same thing, really. Still, talking to your boss like that was never a good idea. Seriously, sometimes he wondered what went on in the Hozuki's mind.

Was he just pre-programmed to say whatever thought popped into his head at any given moment? Was the man just incapable of self-restraint? There were times when it certainly felt that way!

"If you weren't discussing in appropriate things, you wouldn't need to worry about people sneaking up on you." Orochimaru counters.

As much as Orochimaru did creep him out, well he had a point there. Jugo couldn't fault the Sannin's logic.

"Whatever." Suigetsu shrugs, trying to act casual. "So what did you need us to do so badly, anyway?"

Orochimaru smirks like a cat that had caught the canary. "After telling Sasuke of our plans, you've gained his trust." Uh oh. "Which is something I want you to use to our advantage." Jugo definitely didn't like where this going!

Suigetsu blinks. As always, his friend couldn't be faulted for his honesty. Though once again, he displayed his lack of common sense.

"I ain't gonna help you talk Sassy into selling you the place." He shrugs. "He's not going to do it and you know it. You pissed them off way too much."

His eyes narrow. "If you don't do it, then you're fired." And there it was.

Jugo had known that this day would come eventually. Thankfully, he had quite a bit of money stashed away. He knew that Suigetsu did as well.

Though that was mostly because the gentle giant had forced him to become a better saver. If Suigetsu had his way, he probably would have blown it all on booze and Disneyland (or something).

"Then I guess I'm fired!" Suigetsu scowls at him. "You're starting a band new company. You need us way more than we need you." He gives Orochimaru a dirty look. "We've got enough money to be just fine, but you're going to need time to hire a staff. Good luck!" And with that, he storms off.

Orochimaru turns his gaze on Jugo. He didn't even need to say it. The orange haired man knew exactly what he had been planning to ask.

"I quit as well." With that being said, Jugo wasted no time in following his friend out the door.

It was over. Their employment with Orochimaru was over and while they still had jobs at the Akatsuki, suddenly Jugo was pretty sure that it'd be a good idea to start throwing around his resume. Job security at the Akatsuki just wasn't what it used to be.

* * *

Back at Mangekyo, Gaara sighs heavily at this discovery. Unfortunately, he knew Orochimaru. He knew that snake all too well and this was bad news.

"If he's no longer an Akatsuki, Orochimaru is a loose cannon." That thought made him sick. "There's no telling what he might do."

Itachi blinks and looks at Gaara. "Do you think he's actually dangerous or just a pest?" And as much as it killed the red head to admit it, he knew it was former.

The Sannin's ambitions knew no bounds. The only reason why they had been somewhat tempered was because of Pain. Without Pain to keep him in check, well Gaara didn't think it would take terribly long for Orochimaru to be transformed from an aggressive businessman to just an aggressive man.

"Before he was just a pest." Gaara sighs. "Now, he's dangerous."

He wouldn't let that freak go anywhere near his boyfriend though. Never again. The red head would have his horses trample Orochimaru to death before he allowed that to happen!

Naruto apparently was of a similar mind. "Maybe, we should call the police." Sorta.

Sasuke rolls his eyes at his boyfriend or whatever the blonde was to him at the moment. "And say what?" Good point. "Help me, Officer! This man is trying to make me a business offer?!"

Yeah. They didn't actually have anything on Orochimaru. Well at least not yet. That was a bad sign. They needed to come up with something and quickly.

"Sasuke, reduce your sarcasm levels by at least a thousand percent!" Itachi rolls his eyes at his beloved foolish little brother. "And then apologize to your adorable blonde for being so bitchy."

"I was NOT being bitchy!" Sasuke growls. "Fuck you, Itachi!"

Gaara couldn't help, but laugh as he kisses Itachi. His lover was wonderfully amusing at times. Though to be fair, the younger Uchiha always took the bait.

Naruto blinks. "Hey! That's _my_ job!" He flails. "You're only supposed to have fun sexy times with me and besides, Gaara's kinda got that covered anyway!"

Itachi smiles and returns the red head's kiss. As soon as he did so, the red head was easily able to drown out the sounds of Naruto and Sasuke bickering. It really was just their strange form of foreplay, he decides.

* * *

Konan sighs and shakes her head. "Damn it!" They hadn't received a call from Sasuke yet. That was a bad sign. What was taking him so long?

"Patience, My Love." Pain kisses her cheek as he pulls her down into his lap. "Sasuke will call us soon." Into his favorite executive chair.

Not that Konan could blame him. She quite liked that chair too. It was ridiculously comfortable and could spin around really fast. It was the perfect chair for office sex, really.

Wait. She was getting off track here. "I know." The bluenette sighs. "It's just that it's hard to wait when we all know that viper is on the loose."

Pain nods sympathetically as he caresses the curve of her hip. "I know, but there's not much that we can do. "Besides, they hate Orochimaru."

Well that was true. At the moment, that was their biggest advantage. That old snake had blown his chances with Mangekyo Wines the minute he decided to call them while they were still grieving. Honestly, he should have been smarter than that!

Pain had been absolutely right to fire him. Sadly, that didn't change the fact that Orochimaru was still very much a threat to them. He simply knew too much about the Akatsuki not to be and that was assuming he was willing to play _nice_.

"He's a clever old viper though." And that was most certainly true.

Orochimaru wasn't going to play nice though and they all knew it. If he was nice, he wouldn't have been an Akatsuki in the first place. Unfortunately, now all they could do was wait.

* * *

A few days later, Sasuke was enjoying the view. It was probably a dumb idea to get attached, but he was falling fast and hard enough that even his father had noticed. Perhaps, it was inevitable.

"You just going to stand there all day, staring?" Naruto grins at him.

No one had ever gotten under his skin as quickly and easily as the hot blonde who was carrying barrels of whiskey into his brewery. The hot _shirtless_ blonde who was covered only in seat and a tight pair of blue jeans.

"I'm not standing around and staring all day." Sasuke smiles smugly. "You idiot. I'm _sitting_ around and staring all day!"

Naruto laughs and stalks over to Sasuke. Sasuke blinks. Oh boy. There was something positively _predatory_ about the way his blonde was walking towards him. He didn't know whether to be very excited or nervous.

He soon found out it was both. "Well, I'm sure that the barrels can wait awhile. I wouldn't want you to get bored." Naruto purrs dangerously into his ear as he pins Sasuke against the wall.

The Uchiha's back was towards his boyfriend at the moment and that just made the position all the more erotic. So did the fact that Naruto was drenched in sweat and only wearing a pair of blue jeans (and maybe some boxers underneath said jeans).

"Yeah." Sasuke swallows hard. "That's true." And that also wasn't the only thing that was hard.

For a moment, the younger Uchiha thought that they might actually go for that roll in the hay. That was until Itachi ran towards them. God damn it!

Life just wasn't fair sometimes! He had just been cockblocked by his own brother! That just wasn't right! Obviously, someone up there really, really hated Sasuke!

Itachi blinks and actually has the decency to look somewhat embarrassed at walking in on them. "Sorry." Yeah. Sure! "I didn't mean to interrupt!" Whatever, Sasuke thinks to himself rather bitterly.

One second he had been pinned to the wall by a gorgeous brewery owner and possibly been about to get lucky and the next, his brother had shown up. That was painful, really. Zero to sixty and then back to zero in under two minutes. Ouch!

"Yeah…" Naruto actually looked embarrassed as well. "Um what did you want, Itachi?" He tilts his head at that.

Itachi sighs and gestures for them to follow him. "You guys might want to see this." He pauses and adds. "Jugo and Suigetsu are back and they have big news."

Itachi was pretty sure that Sasuke was going to be furious with him later on for the accidental block, but there was nothing he could do for it. Jugo and Suigetsu were here now. What was he supposed to do? Tell them that they needed to wait because his foolish little brother was _finally_ getting laid?!

"Alright!" Naruto sighs and lets go of Sasuke. "We're coming!"

Itachi barely suppresses a snicker at that. No. They weren't coming yet, but he was sure that hey would be soon enough.

Sasuke must have heard his snicker though as the two men were following him. "Get your mind out of the damn gutter." He rolls his eyes again.

"What are you talking about?" Itachi feigns innocence as they walk back into the living room. "I didn't say anything!"

The lawyer was an Uchiha. So Itachi probably should have expected Sasuke to see through his lies easily enough, but it still was rather amusing. The way that Sasuke was raising his eyebrow at him and silently going, _"Bullshit,"_ was nothing short of hysterical.

"You were **thinking** it though!" Sasuke glares at him.

Suigetsu blinks as he watches them. "Um do I even wanna know what you two crazy kids are fighting about?" Well if nothing else, the other man was entertaining, Itachi supposed.

Naruto shakes his head. "No. You don't." Obviously, the blonde still wasn't that fond of Sasuke's ex.

Though admittedly, ex was a stretch. As far as Itachi could tell, it had just been some dirty dancing and making out. Mostly because Sasuke got too frisky when vodka was involved.

A fact that he was almost certain Naruto would eventually take advantage of one day. Actually, he might have been in the process of doing exactly that when Itachi had showed up. Damn.

"Right, well we're sorry to disturb you all." Jugo rubs the back of his head sheepishly. "But we do have really important news."

Gaara looks at the gentle giant expectantly. So did everyone else, except Suigetsu. The sword lover knew whatever Jugo was about to say. Everyone else did not. So that was why.

"Well what is it?" The red head demands.

Suigetsu shakes his head and decides to just spill it as they say. "Orochimaru got sacked from the Akatsuki." He pauses and adds. "He's starting his own company and he wants Mangekyo bad."

Itachi nods. They had already known that, but Jugo and Suigetsu obviously couldn't have possibly known that. Really, it was the thought that counted.

"We're well aware." He shakes his head. "So we're sorry that you both came all this way for nothing."

Apparently, that wasn't all they wanted to say though. The fearsome duo had more on their mind and they were going to speak their peace!

"Orochimaru has never been completely right in the head." Jugo sighs. "I'm afraid that he might try something drastic, if he doesn't get his way."

Sasuke frowns that knowledge. Probably because he didn't really know what they were dealing with, Itachi muses. He had read up on Orochimaru more than enough to realize that the man was only a breath or two away from being psychotic.

Suigetsu nods his head enthusiastically at that. "Yeah." He then adds as if it was an afterthought, the following gem. "He fired us when he realized that we weren't gonna try to talk you into selling him the place anymore."

Sasuke blinks and looks at Suigetsu in concern. "Fuck! You didn't have to give up your jobs for us." That thought clearly horrified Sasuke. That his old "friend" was now unemployed because of him.

Jugo shakes his head. "Technically, we're both still employed at the Akatsuki." Oh right. "Though that's not the point." He sighs heavily. "The point is that Orochimaru is very dangerous at the moment because he's not thinking rationally."

Did Orochimaru ever think entirely rationally, Itachi wonders to himself. It didn't seem so. If he did, he wouldn't have been a member of the Akatsuki in the first place!

"Right." Naruto nods in agreement. "Unfortunately, we can't really go to the police about this." He shakes his own head in disbelief. "Being an obsessive creep isn't necessarily a crime by itself. The Bastard pointed that out earlier."

Sasuke chuckles. "He really is such a loser, but he's my loser." He smiles and kisses Naruto's cheek.

Well that was good. They were definitely making progress. Frankly, it was a relief to Itachi that Sasuke was acknowledging his feelings now.

The amount of emotional and sexual suppression that Sasuke had been experiencing until very recently, just wasn't healthy. That much was obvious. It was so painfully obvious in fact, that apparently their own father had to intervene and explain to Sasuke the obvious. That he was in love with Naruto.

"That's right." Itachi sighs. "Still, that doesn't help us deal with Orochimaru or the Akatsuki at large."

That's when Suigetsu smirks. "Don't worry, we'll help you with that." He rolls his eyes. "After all, that prick did fire us." His smirk only continues to grow. "It's time for some payback."

"Well technically he fired you." Jugo smiles smugly. "I quit!"

Sugietsu twitches and Itachi chuckles. It was rather apparent was coming. That didn't make it any less amusing though.

"THAT IS NOT THE FREAKING POINT!" Suigetsu flails. "The point is we're going to kick that creep's ass!"

Itachi nods in agreement because in his mind, truer words were never spoken. They most certainly were going to kick that creep's ass! After all, that prick had it coming to him for more reasons than he could ever possibly list! If he did list them though, he'd probably be Madara's age by the time he was through! Orochimaru really was that big of a creep as Suigetsu would say!


	15. Chapter 15

Something About Country Boys

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter because it comes with a complimentary glass of lemonade.

 **Chapter Notation:** This is mostly a Sasuke x Naruto chapter. For my Gaara x Itachi fans, don't worry. They'll get plenty of screen time soon.

Chapter 15

Two days later, Sasuke was showing Suigetsu around vineyard. Naruto was working on his brewery and honestly, this was the best time for him to interrogate the other man. When Naruto wasn't around.

"Well I have to admit that it's a pretty sweet setup." Suigetsu looks around. "I can see why the Akatsuki wants it, but they're really going overboard now."

Sasuke nods in agreement. "That's because it's no longer about the money." He sighs as he looks around at all the beautiful grapes that were growing around them. "It's about pride." Such beauty shouldn't be caught up in such an ugly competition.

Speaking of beauty, a brief flash of view flitted across the lawyer's mind. Sapphire blue. Naruto's eyes. Before meeting Naruto, Sasuke hadn't realized that shade of blue existed in nature, but apparently it did.

He couldn't imagine that the hyper blonde was wearing contacts. Sasuke wasn't sure how exactly, but the idiot would fidget. And the fidgetting would make him lose his contacts.

"Yeah." Suigetsu grins at him. "So speaking about pride and everything, you and Blondie kiss and make up yet?"

Sasuke rolls his eyes. "We were trying to until Itachi cockblocked us." Honestly, Sasuke loved his older brother, but sometimes the other Uchiha had the worst timing in the world!

Finally, he had finally been about to put all of Naruto's extra energy into a _good cause_ and Itachi had to show up and ruin it. Of course, he knew that Itachi hadn't done it on purpose, but it still sucked!

"Ouch. That's rough." Suigetsu shakes his head. "Did you get him back for the bridle thing?"

The youngest Uchiha had needed someone to vent about bridle. He obviously couldn't tell Itachi about it. So Sasuke had told the only person who he sorta knew that was in close proximity and likely wouldn't tell anyone else. Suigetsu.

"Not yet." Sasuke shakes his head. That hadn't been his finest moment. "I'm definitely going to though."

Suigetsu grins at him and that was when Sasuke got scared. "Well I might have an idea how you can get him back for it." The sword lover was now plotting something and that usually didn't end well for the Uchiha in question.

"What'd you have in mind?" The raven haired man dares himself to ask.

Part of him, knew that was a bad idea. The other part though, well it was curious. Besides, Naruto deserved it!

Sugietsu's smirk only continues to grow. "How about you tie him up with the bridle this time and give him a bad case of blue balls?" Oh. Hmm.

Actually, that wasn't bad. Now, that Sasuke thought about it, the idea had potential. It would serve Naruto right, really!

"That's a great idea!" Sasuke smirks as he heads towards the stable. "I'll see you later. I have a hot blonde to tie up." And with that, he darts off.

* * *

"So how long do you think it will be before they jump each other?" Gaara glances at Itachi in amusement.

Itachi chuckles at that question. "Well, it shouldn't be long now." The red head could only nod his head in agreement.

Those sexual tension between those two was hot enough to melt the Artic. Really, it was shocking that Naruto had been able to resist the temptation that a highly intoxicated Sasuke must have provided him with. Gaara had been impressed.

"By the end of the week?" He offers.

Itachi shakes his head at that guess. "Sometime today most likely." The other man smirks. "They were about to go for a literal roll in the hay when I went to get them the other day." The Uchiha in question pauses and adds for clarification. "You now, when Suigetsu and Jugo showed up."

The ranch owner tries his best not to laugh at that. Well that explained why Sasuke had been glaring daggers at Itachi. His lover had unintentionally cockblocked his brother. Ouch!

"Good point." It was probably evil to speculate, but what the Hell. "So who do you think will top?"

Itachi tilts his head as if considering this. "Well I'd rather not dwell on my brother's sex life too much as it's a rather awkward topic for me, but I'm not sure."

The red head nods as he thinks this one over. Sasuke had a lot of rage, but Naruto was generally someone who liked to take the reigns during sex. This was going to be an explosive combination.

"Should we be more worried about Orochimaru destroying Mangekyo or them bringing down the house with their angry makeup sex?" Gaara laughs.

Itachi shakes his head in amusement. That was just one of the many things the ranch owner loved about the other man. He didn't mind Gaara's unique sense of humor.

"The latter." The Uchiha chuckles with undisguised mirth. "Definitely, the latter."

* * *

About fifteen minutes later, Naruto smiles as he gives Sasuke a more thorough tour of the vineyard. "So you're really staying then?" It was probably a good sign that the other man wanted a tour, right?

Sasuke nods in agreement. His dark eyes were scanning the fields with boy wonder and predatory calculation. The last part confused the blonde a bit, but whatever. As long as Sasuke was taking this seriously, that was all that mattered.

"Yeah." Sasuke nods. "I've always assumed that I would end up working at Sharingan, but it's the principle of the thing."

Naruot grins at hearing that. That was his Bastard! "You resent them trying to force you into selling because you don't like being bossed around." That had to be it.

Sasuke smirks and nods. "Exactly." His hand drifts towards the bridle. "I definitely don't take kindly to being bossed around by most people."

The bridle baffled Naruto a bit. Though he pawns it off to the other man wanting to go riding later. After all, he did live right next to a horse ranch.

"Yeah. I figured that out." Naruto laughs. "So I guess you wanna practice riding some more?" He glances at the bridal.

"I guess you could say that." Sasuke smirks and tackles Naruto onto the soft ground.

Naruto blinks. The Bastard was getting way too good at tackling. Idly, he wonders if the lawyer had played football at University or something. He seemed to have experience with the whole tackling thing.

"Um Bastard?" He looks up at Sasuke in confusion.

Sasuke just shakes his head though. "You had this coming and you know it." And proceeds to tie the blonde up in the bridle.

 **Warning Lemon**

Naruto gulps. He wasn't really sure whether to be turned on or utterly terrified by that look in his boyfriend's eye. Oh and the fact that he was now tied up in a bridle, well that only added to his contradictory emotional state.

"Alright." He swallows hard. "You got me and yeah, I kinda deserved that one."

Sasuke nods as he leans down and very slowly and deliberately slides Naruto's shirt off him. "Mhm. You're right." His gaze trailing over the blonde's now exposed chest appreciatively as he reaches for the other man's pants. "You definitely did, but you deserve a Hell of a lot more than that."

Naruto blinks. Did Sasuke actually want to have sex in the vineyard? "You've got to be the kinkiest bastard that I've met in my life." Damn.

"I have my moments." Sasuke shrugs as he quickly yanks off Naruto's pants and boxers.

There was something simply glorious about the picture presented underneath him. It was very ethereal in a strange way. The way that the blonde was completely naked and laying in a field of grapes.

The bridle did take away from the ethereal aspect, but it was still very, very sexy. He hadn't really experimented much with restraints before. Other than a couple pairs of fuzzy handcuffs, but now the Uchiha was starting to see the appeal of them.

Naruto laughs and smiles up at him. "I'll say." His blue eyes were dancing merrily with joy. "Though I really shouldn't be the only one who is naked here, Bastard. I mean if you're really crazy enough to have sex in a vineyard, stripping is kinda mandatory."

"You're such a smart ass." Sasuke shakes his head as he proceeds to slowly slide his shirt off.

He did so in a very methodical way. Naruto definitely was getting off on watching him strip. So why not give him something to watch?

White marble or ivory, Naruto thinks to himself. That's what Sasuke's skin looked like. Actually, if the blonde was more the poetic type, he'd say that Sasuke was the Moon given human form.

He definitely had that vibe. Hair and eyes black as night. Skin as luminous as the moon and there was a certain elegance to his form that was hard to articulate, but Naruto liked it. He liked it a lot. Sasuke was far from bulky, but he was toned. And those abs were quite nice too!

"You know this is going to be awkward, if you keep me tied up." He laughs. "And without you know, stuff."

Sasuke rolls his eyes as he leans down and captures Naruto's mouth in a heated kiss while stroking his cock. "I brought the _stuff_ as you call it." Oh fuck!

The Bastard was definitely not kidding around here. He'd brought a bridle and lubrication. He was definitely serious about this and the way he was playing with Naruto's dick made him more than willing to go along with it.

"S-Smart move." He moans into the kiss.

Sasuke purrs in approval as their tongues battled for dominance. Normally, he'd take control, but eventually the younger Uchiha Brother was going to let the other man take the reigns. After he had had his fun and showed Naruto who was the one really in control of this relationship.

There were more ways to do that than just by topping during sex. Making Naruto beg and squirm seemed like a damn fine place to start.

"I thought so too." Sasuke smirks as he leaves a trail of kisses along Naruto's jaw, his lips, and over his throat.

The blonde sighs in pleasure and arches against his half naked, almost lover. "Y-Yeah." Well he supposed it wasn't so bad being tied up if Sasuke wanted to kiss him all. The thought made his cock throb in the other man's apparently, _very_ talented hand.

The beautiful blue sky contrasted nicely with Sasuke's dark hair and fair skin. There was something almost angelic about it, even if the Uchiha was acting anything, but innocent. Playing with Naruto's cock like that and tying him up, yeah…that wasn't innocent.

Not that he was complaining though. "You seem to like it when I tie you up." Sasuke smirks as he moves down and kisses Naruto's chest, occasionally leaving lovebites and licking the irritated skin. "You're already so fucking hard. It's almost unbelievable."

Yeah. Sasuke was challenging him. Trying to goad him, at the moment the blonde didn't really care too much. Just as long as he didn't stop.

"You know that I'm going to get out of this damn bridle sooner or later, right?" He stares Sasuke down. "And when I do, you're not going to be able to walk properly for a week because you just had to go and be a cocktease."

Sasuke snorts in amusement. "I'm trembling, Naruto." Quickly, kicking his pants off. "Really, I am." How the Bastard could still keep his Sarcasm Levels that far UP while he had an impressive erection up was beyond Naruto, but it was a very Sasuke thing to do, he supposed.

What he hadn't expected was for Sasuke to take the tip of his arousal into his mouth and start licking and sucking. "F-FUCK!" Holy shit! That was a sneak attack and Naruto loved it.

The feeling of Sasuke's hot mouth wrapped around dhis cock was incredible! "Yes, Naruto. We're going to fuck." Sasuke chuckles around his erection as he takes more of the blonde into his mouth.

His reactions were equal parts erotic and amusing. That was probably just what sex with Naruto was going to be like though, Sasuke thinks to himself as he starts deepthroating the other man.

That was no easy feat. Naruto was basically the same size and girth as Sasuke was. It honestly would have been hard to tell who was bigger or thicker. They'd need to get out a freaking ruler or something to tell.

"Shit!" Naruto pants as he squirms around helplessly in the bridle. "Don't stop! I swear, I will kill you if you stop, Bastard!"

For some reason, the death threat sounded kinda hot. So Sasuke just sucks harder. He lavishes the sensitive skin with his tongue and grazes his teeth over it lightly. Not enough to be considered a bite, just enough to get the blonde's attention.

Naruto could swear that there was actual fireworks going on somewhere. The sight of Sasuke between his thighs and sucking him off in the middle of a freaking vineyard, well that was like sexual nirvana or something!

"S-Sasuke, wait!" He was going to cum and he knew it! "I'm close!"

The Uchiha didn't seem to mind that though. He just sucked harder and Naruto came hard and fast with a roar. He swore that all he could see was white and stars around his eyes during that orgasm.

"Obviously." Sasuke smirks. "So how bad do you want it?"

That evil Bastard! As if the blonde was going to be able to think coherently after **that**! He had to be out of his mind!

"Listen, you damn Bastard, untie me right now!" Or he would find a way to get out of this damn thing. "So I can screw your brains out! Don't even pretend you don't want it as much as me. I can see how hard your cock is!"

Sasuke shakes his head in amusement and unties him. "Better make it worth it then." He glances at Naruto. "I don't like giving up control."

Oh Naruto would definitely make it worth it! He quickly grabs Sasuke and kisses him hotly while coating his fingers generously in the lubrication. After all, Sasuke might be an evil tease, but that didn't mean the brewery owner was actually going to risk hurting him.

"I'll make it worth it." He pumps his fingers in and out of Sasuke slowly. "I promise." The sapphire eyed man growls.

Sasuke squirms back against Naruto as he returns the kiss. A few months ago, if anyone had ever told him he'd be having sex in a vineyard where anyone could see him, he would have laughed in their face. He would never do anything that crazy. That stupid.

Though he supposed love made people do stupid and crazy things. "Fuck, you're a good kisser." He pants out between heated kisses, eager to taste more of his blonde.

Thankfully, the ground was soft underneath them and they were pretty far out into the fields. "So are you. Shit! You're tight." Naruto's fingers continue working their magic, until they find that magic spot inside Sasuke.

The one that made him moan and the blonde grins. "There we go." He nudges Sasuke until he was on his hands and knees. "Don't worry, I'll go slow at first."

Sasuke nods his head and squirms a bit at the position. He felt rather exposed, but that was probably the point. Naruto acted like an animal sometimes, so why wouldn't he be an animal in the bedroom (or fields in this case)?

"Got it." He nods his head once again, encouragingly.

Naruto quickly grabs the bottle and squeezes what seemed to be a massive amount of lubrication onto his hand before covering his arousal with it. "Good. Because unless you tell me to, I'm not stopping till I keep that promise to you." The one about Sasuke not being able to walk properly for a week.

With that in mind, slowly buries himself inside his new lover and moans at the sensation. "Shit! N-Naruto!" Sasuke arches back against him. Because apparently Sasuke knew what the blonde had just discovered, they fit together perfectly.

He was even more gorgeous like this than usual. Sasuke on his hands and knees like that in the field, it was perfect. So was the way his tight ass gripped his cock like that! Shit! Perfect was an understatement.

With that thought in mind, Naruto begins to move inside him slowly and to stroke Sasuke. "J-Just like that!" His lover didn't seem to have much trouble adjusting, probably because they were both turned on to the point that lust was driving them at least moderately insane, but Naruto definitely wasn't going to argue.

Sasukes pants in pleasure underneath him. He could feel Naruto on top of him. Easily imagine those sun kissed muscles and those beautiful blue eyes. His body drenched in sweat and eyes glowing with love and desire.

Not to mention the fact that Naruto was currently giving him a hand job as he slammed into his spot over and over again, well that felt good too! "Don't you dare fucking stop!" They were moving together perfectly now, as one.

He treasured all of it. Every sexy moan. Every sensual touch. The scent of desire that was now surrounding them. The beautiful fields that spanned as far as the eye could see. It was all perfect.

"I wasn't planning on it!" Naruto practically growls as his sensual and careful thrusts morphed into something else entirely. "God, you feel so good!" Animalistic.

That's what his thrusts were now, Naruto knew that. He couldn't stop though. The way that Sasuke felt around him and those sexy moans were driving him crazy. He was like a man possessed at the moment.

"N-Naruto!" Thrusting over and over again. "Fuck!" Striking Sasuke's spot without mercy. "I'm going to cum!" And so was he!

"Together, then!" Naruto tilts Sasuke's head back just enough to kiss him.

They came together. Naruto doubted that he had ever had a more intense release before. And he knew without a doubt that it never would have been as good with anyone else.

Sasuke pants as he squirms against Naruto. It took him several minutes to come down from the height that accompanied their lovemaking, but he finally did.

"Oh right." Naruto pants as well, still trying to catch his breath. "Sorry about that." Thankfully, Naruto had the presence of mind to slide out of Sasuke before getting to his feet and helping Sasuke up.

 **End of Lemon**

"You're amazing." Naruto smiles as he hands Sasuke his clothes.

They had just finished making love for the first time in the vineyard, after Sasuke had made creative use of the bridle. What could be better than that?

To Naruto, the world was perfect at that moment. He had Sasuke, his brewery, Gaara, and well he was still basking in the afterglow. Nothing could be better, he thinks to himself as they both quickly dress.

Sasuke smirks. "You weren't so bad yourself." Okay, that was it.

 _SMACK!_ He smacks Sasuke's charming backside for that remark. Sometimes, the Bastard really did ask for it!

"Cocky Bastard." Naruto rolls his eyes and grins. "Well I guess it's okay, since you have good reason to be though."

Sasuke smirks. "Damn right, I do." Smirking like that should be illegal, Naruto decides. Surely, Sasuke was breaking some sort of law related to the Sexy Speed Limit or something!

* * *

Meanwhile Itachi smiles as he snuggles up to Gaara. The two were enjoying some pizza and watching a horror movie on the television. Itachi didn't really like horror and the red head apparently wanted to exploit this fact.

 _Blood everywhere!_ Suddenly, Itachi jumps when he sees blood go everywhere on the screen and the screams of the actors. It all looked so horribly real.

"You big baby." Gaara chuckles as he kisses Itachi's cheek. "Don't worry, I'll protect you."

Itachi knew that it was just a movie. It wasn't real. Still, he jumped every time. He didn't know why. The elder Uchiha Brother decides to pawn it off to an instinct.

An instinct that the red head was all too happy to exploit. Most likely, he just wanted more Cuddle Time. His Sexy Panda was rather good at that. Cuddle Time that was.

"Yes, I know." Itachi smiles slyly. "I'm terribly fortunate to have such a powerful panda watching out for my best interests."

Gaara rolls his eyes as he shares some popcorn with his lover. "Don't underestimate pandas." He honestly didn't now if they could fight much, but the red head assumed animal of that size must be at least somewhat strong.

He probably should have paid more attention to that damn panda documentary. Well at least he had chosen pandas and not a documentary about kittens or puppies, he supposed. Otherwise, Itachi probably would have called him his Sex Kitten or something equally ridiculous!

"I would never dream of it." Itachi chuckles as he kisses Gaara.

Gaara smiles and returns the kiss. He supposed that he could endure some playful teasing, if it meant getting kissed like this. That and some other more erotic rewards.

"Good." The red head smiles and caresses Itachi's cheek. "Because I love you and it would be terribly unfortunate, if I had to kick your ass for being smartass."

Itachi shakes his head in amusement at that. "There is a fine line between confidence and self-delusion, My Love." Oh really?" Gaara raises an eyebrow.

The elder Uchiha Brother nods his head as he pins his lover playfully to the couch. "Yes, I love you." He kisses Gaara's nose. "I truly do, but there is something you should know about my family." His eyes flicker lower to his waist as his pants reach for the zipper of Gaara's pants.

The red head's breath hitches. "And what's that?" Much to Itachi's supreme satisfaction.

"We don't like to lose." Itachi unzips Gaara's jeans. "And we **always** get what we want."

It was quite the amusing experience to tease Gaara. His face was just so wonderfully expressive, Itachi muses to himself. Though what came after this would be even better.

"Oh. Good to know." Gaara swallows hard. "Lucky me."

Itachi smirks. "Yes, you're **very** lucky. In more ways than one." He agrees as he captures the red head's lips in a heated kiss.


	16. Chapter 16

Something About Country Boys

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter.

 **Chapter Notation:** It's Gaara's turn to take the reigns.

Chapter 16

Sasuke shakes his head as he smiles at Naruto. "Come on, we should probably go and get cleaned up." He gingerly puts back on his pants.

While it might be okay to make love in the fields because they were so vast and it wasn't likely someone was going to stumble on them, the younger Uchiha did not feel like giving his brother or a certain red head an eyeful!

"Yeah. That'd probably be a good idea." Naruto nods in agreement as he somehow manages to slide into those tight jeans with ease. "So you wanna have fun sexy times in the shower together?" He looks at Sasuke hopefully.

Sasuke blinks. What the Hell did they put in Ramen these days?! Did they just lace it with aphrodisiacs or something? Because that might explain the blonde's almost inhuman stamina.

He shakes his head and smirks as he heads back towards the house. "Maybe, if you play your cards right." And with that, he dashes off as a frisky blonde chases after the sexy lawyer.

It didn't take them long to get into the living room and for Sasuke to get an eyeful of his brother sucking face with his favorite country boy. A red head who apparently was not afraid to make use of his tongue.

"Gross!" He whispers under his breath as he frantically gestures for Naruto follow him.

The last thing that he wanted was for Itachi and Gaara to know they had been spotted. That they had been spotted making out and about to do well it was pretty damn obvious what they were about to do!

"Whoa." Naruto blinks as he makes his way into the living room.

The blonde had also seen them making out on the couch, but luckily the two lovers were far too distracted by each other at the moment to care. Though Sasuke knew that wouldn't be the case for long.

He places his fingertips by his lips. The lawyer then proceeds to make a shushing sound as he darts off towards the bathroom. Hopefully, Naruto would get the message.

Don't get caught. "Finally." Or else, none of us is ever going to live this down, the Uchiha thinks to himself as he reaches the bathroom door and opens it.

"That was a close one." Naruto sighs in relief as he follows Sasuke inside and locks the door behind them.

Sasuke sighs in relief and places a gentle kiss to the blonde's lips. "You're telling me." He shakes his head. "None of us would have ever lived that down, if they knew that we had caught them about to…yeah."

The young lawyer shudders at the very thought of his brother doing _that!_ He was happy that Itachi had found love. Really, he was. That didn't mean he wanted to watch his older brother doing the horizontal tango with his favorite red head though!

* * *

 **Warning Lemon**

Gaara moans into the kiss as he manages to tug off Itachi's pants. His boxers were next, but they were a causality to the red head's impatience. He literally tore them off of his lover.

"You're so impatient today." Itachi chuckles as he breaks the kiss and pulls Gaara's shirt over his head.

Perfect. Itachi loved Gaara's subtly powerful build. He could see the other man's obvious muscles, but they were lithe like a dancer's. Nothing like the bulky muscles of some of the gym addicts that he had come to know in the city.

Gaara takes Itachi's already half hard cock into his hand and strokes him. "Who could blame me?" Stroking him with such a possessiveness and skill that it took Itachi's breath away. "I'm assuming they have mirrors in the city and you know how fucking beautiful you are?"

"I would say that I should wash your mouth out with soap, but I have something far better in mind." Itachi smirks at his younger lover.

The ranch owner was obviously in a romantic in his own unique way. He was free with his compliments. That much was for certain. Well at least he was that way with Itachi.

Gaara looks at him with a completely serious expression. "Well I don't mind sucking you off, but this time…I'm in charge." Which made Itachi laugh as he kisses him.

"Mmm a sexy red head wants to boss me around giving me oral sex?" He murmurs between hot, lustful kisses. "How will I ever survive such torture?" Itachi smiles teasingly at his lover.

"I'm not entirely sure, but somehow I'm sure you'll manage." The ranch owner chuckles as he stands up and helps Itachi to his feet before sinking to his knees.

There was something equal parts ethereal and demonic about the sight of Gaara on his knees with that blood red hair and those feral eyes looking up at him as his lover wrapped his lips around Itachi's cock. Beautiful. Itachi would never get enough of this.

Gaara smirks at Itachi's expression as he starts sucking on his lover. The sounds that simple action elicited sent a fire through his blood. So this was what a Siren must have sounded like, he muses to himself as he grazes his teeth lightly against the sensitive flesh and grabs Itachi's ass.

Glorious. Itachi was glorious with hair dark as any raven's and sun kissed skin. His eyes smoldering with desire and longing as he bucked lightly against the red head's mouth.

"Ah!" Itachi groans as he shivers in pleasure from Gaara's wonderfully wicked mouth being wrapped around his cock. "Gaara!" Which was all music to the red head's ears.

He especially loved the way that Itachi's back would arch in pleasure and those abs would ripple as he did so. That was _very_ nice!

The feeling of Gaara's hot mouth wrapped around him was nothing short of euphoric. Perhaps, that's why Itachi didn't notice when the other man grabbed a tube of lubrication and generously coats his fingers with it.

"You're amazing." Itachi's breath hitches as he runs his fingers through Gaara's bloody red locks.

That was until Itachi feels his lover squeeze his backside more insistently and nudge his legs further apart until a single digit slipped inside him. That causes the Uchiha to tense up slightly. It had been awhile since he had allowed one of his lover's to take control in such a fashion.

"Relax." Gaara smiles up at him as he sucks harder. "I'm just taking care of that amazing ass of yours."

He wasn't completely naïve when it came to sex. While Itachi was far from promiscuous, he also wasn't a blushing virgin. That much made obvious by the fact Itachi hadn't hesitated to take his cute red head in the hot tub not that long ago. So he knew that Gaara was right about that.

It was better to indulge in such foreplay than not. Much better and just as he was thinking that, Gaara found his spot. The spot that made him moan and buck against the other man.

"That's better. You don't seem to mind it that much, after all." Gaara smirks as he deep throats his lover.

Itachi could swear almost every inch of his erection was being treated to the delights of Gaara's mouth in some way when he came hard and fast as a second finger was added.

"S-Shit!" He pants out, trying to catch his breath.

Gaara laughs with a primal satisfaction at the sight of Itachi Uchiha coming undone. "Now who is the one with the dirty mouth?" It was nothing short of perfect.

Itachi chuckles as he helps Gaara to his feet. The red head knew that the other man couldn't come up with a decent retort to that observation. So he had opted for silence in that matter.

"You know if oral sex ever became a sport at the Olympics, you would easily win the gold." Actually, Gaara took that back. "There would be no competition." Apparently, the city slicker could come up with a witty retort to that!

"Mmm such high praise." Gaara smirks as he kisses Itachi heatedly and places the other man's hand on his throbbing erection. "Then again you were always good at stroking my…ego."

Itachi thoroughly plunders the red head's mouth with his tongue as he begins to stroke Gaara's cock. Gaara couldn't help, but groan in response. Fuck, the elder Uchiha was good at that. He was really good at playing with his dick.

"I'm flattered that you think so." Itachi breaks the kiss in favor of kissing along the ranch owner's jaw. "I do aim to please." And over his neck as he continues to stroke the rancher with a practiced ease.

It constantly amazed Gaara how well they fit together. They hadn't been lovers for that long, but Itachi truly did seem to know Gaara's body better than anyone. Even himself.

"You always do." Gaara smirks. "Do get on the couch."

Itachi raises an eyebrow rather incredulously. This was a new side to his favorite red head. He'd never really seen the other man fight this hard for control and on some level, well he was rather intrigued by the whole thing.

"And if I do not?" He chuckles at the thought of defying Gaara in this state.

The red head raises an eyebrow and swats Itachi's backside rather insistently. It didn't hurt, but it was enough to be well more assertive than he had ever seen the other man behave towards him before. His cock twitched in excitement at the unexpected mild display of force.

"Then I'll just have to make you." Gaara shakes his head as he pushes Itachi onto couch.

The position causes the elder Uchiha Brother to blush. He was on his hands and knees. While this was far from their first time making love, he'd never been in this particular position before.

Though judging by the impressive erection he could feel brushing against his backside, it definitely met with Gaara's satisfaction. "You know, it really should be a crime." Itachi manages to tilt his head back just enough to see Gaara lavishing his arousal with the lubrication.

"What should be a crime?" His lips twitch with undisguised mirth.

Gaara shakes his head as though the answer should be obvious. "Being as beautiful as you are." He kisses the back of Itachi's neck and strokes him with one hand. "This big." His kisses move further south towards Itachi's shoulder. "This intelligent and most of all this tight."

He knew that he was being sneaky, but the ranch owner didn't want his lover to tense up. Itachi struck him as the type who rarely ever relinquished control. So he had to be careful.

The soft sighs of pleasure and feeling of Itachi bucking into his hand had been enough. It had been enough for him to know that the other man was ready for him. So he had taken the chance presented to him and thrust inside his lover.

His wonderfully hot and tight lover. "F-Fuck!" Gaara hisses in pleasure.

"Yes, My Sexy Panda, I believe that we are in the process of doing precisely that." Gaara somehow manages to groan and roll his eyes at the same time as he smacks Itachi's ass for that.

"Smartass." It was amazing how he could be buried so deep inside the Uchiha and yet, Itachi could still make wisecracks! "You're lucky that I love you and you have such a great ass."

He hadn't been lying about Itachi's beauty. He could easily imagine the other man posing for an ancient Greek Statue. The nude kind of course.

Though on second thought, no that couldn't be tolerated. "You like it though. You wouldn't be this hard, if you didn't." Gaara did not want to even entertain the mere thought of anyone else touching Itachi this way!

This ecstasy was something only the two of them should share together. "That's true. You feel so fucking good!" The way that they both groaned in bliss and moved as one was nothing short of a masterpiece.

Everything about Itachi captivated him. His sexy moans. His sleek muscles. His voice that was more than enough to case anyone to have wet dreams. His size. His wit. His caring. His sense of humor. All of t hat and more. That was why he loved this man.

That should have been ridiculous. They hadn't been seeing each other very long, but as Gaara slammed into his lover with a reckless abandon…he knew the truth. He was completely in love with the man who was currently writhing underneath him in pleasure and likely always would be.

"G-Gaara!" Itachi pants out desperately.

Fuck! That felt incredible! It had been awhile since he had last allowed anyone to take him in this way, but maybe he should correct that. Then again, this was Gaara, it didn't matter.

The sex was nothing short of orgasmic no matter who was in control and Gaara was very much on a roll. Well at least he was rolling his hips with amazing precision as he slammed into him again and again without mercy. Each time hitting his spot and making Itachi swear that he could actually see stars.

The couch began to shake underneath them. "I-ITACHI!" Neither of them cared though.

They were moving as one now. Gaara slamming into Itachi in an almost frenzied display of love and lust. Itachi arching underneath him and bucking into the red head's hand that was still stroking him.

"Close!" Itachi manages to pant out.

It was nothing short of a miracle that he could remember when Gaara was balls deep inside him. The feeling of the warmth of the red head's sweaty chest against his back and his teeth lightly sinking into skin, creating a lovebite was incredible.

He could feel every inch of his lover and he was so close. It was everything and yet, not enough at the same time and he knew that Gaara felt the same way. If Gaara had his way, apparently the couch was going to break.

"Together." Gaara growls as he thrusts inside his lover faster and faster.

It was an addictive feeling. This must be what it was like for a hawk to fly, he muses in the back of his mind as he proudly admires the dark lovebite he had given his lover and the way they fit together so perfectly.

He wished that he had more artistic talents. It was a shame that this moment wouldn't be captured in paint, in sculpture, or on tape. That just made it all the more precious though. He was determined to make it last as long as possible in their minds.

With that final thought in mind, he pulls all the way out and buries himself inside his lover again in one swift move. The thrust was enough to make them both cum hard and fast, while screaming each other's names.

After a few moments, the red head had enough presence of mind to slowly slide out of his lover. "God, you're amazing." Gaara whispers as he maneuvers them until they were both laying on their sides upon the couch.

 **End of Lemon**

Itachi smiles at that and kisses Gaara. "And you're amazing as well." How could he say anything else after that incredible round of lovemaking?

Well perhaps lovemaking might have been a bit of a stretch. It had been far more wild than genteel, but the elder Uchiha Brother had loved every minute of it.

"I love you." Gaara smiles at him.

Itachi nods in understanding. "I love you too." He runs his fingers through his lover's hair. "So when do you think Sasuke and Naruto will be back?"

The red head tilts his head and shrugs. "Not for awhile, I suspect." He smiles at him slyly. "We can probably enjoy the afterglow for another hour, if we don't hear the sounds of the destruction of private property in the meantime."

Itachi chuckles at that. He knew that the other man was joking, but the scary thing was that he could actually see that happening. His brother really was so foolish sometimes and he only became even more so whenever Naruto was involved.

* * *

Speaking of Sasuke and Naruto, Naruto laughs as they finally make their way to Sasuke's bedroom. After they had had a very hot, sexy shower, of course!

"We really gotta do that again!" He smirks as they finally lay on the bed together.

Sasuke nods in agreement as he tries to catch his breath. Though Naruto couldn't lie. He was panting just as much as the other man.

Between the shower and the fields, well that was a Hell of a work out. Was it possible to die from too much sex? Oh well. At least he'd go out with a smile on his face. A really, really big smile.

"Mhm." Sasuke absentmindedly runs his fingers through Naruto's hair as he checks his messages. "Damn. I got barraged."

The sapphire eyed brewery owner looks at him curiously. "Please tell me that it isn't Suigetsu trying to get into your pants again!" That guy was all over the place.

He hit on Sasuke constantly, but he had done the right thing and told them all the truth. Naruto really didn't know what to make of him, but he did know one thing. Suigetsu could go and get his own hot city slicker. This one was already claimed.

"Thirteen messages." Sasuke blinks as he scrolls through them.

Shit! Sasuke really was popular. Naruto didn't know whether to be amused or worried.

"What do they say?" He looks over at him curiously.

Sasuke pauses as he scans through them and starts reading them out loud. It was either a display of trust or the Uchiha just didn't want to risk having the blonde look over his shoulder. Though the brewery owner hoped it was the former, it realistically was probably a combination of both things.

"First two are from my parents." Sasuke shakes his head as he reads them, they were basically identical.

 _ **Sasuke, are you alright? Have you made up with your boyfriend yet? ~ Fugaku.**_

Naruto smiles at that. Even Sasuke's dad acknowledged him as the other man's boyfriend. That had to mean they were official, right?

"Oh don't look so smug." Sasuke shakes his head in amusement as he reads his mother's.

 **Sasuke, are you alright? Your father told me what happened with your friend? ~ Mikoto.**

It looked pretty standard, until Naruto saw the bottom. That's when he busted out and started laughing. He just couldn't help it. Who wouldn't laugh at what Sasuke's freaking mother had written?!

 **PS. If you really do have a thing for cowboys, remember a roll in the hay sounds sexy in theory, but hay can get stuck in rather uncomfortable places and Heaven help you…if you're allergic. Be safe. ~ Love, Mom.**

"Your mother sounds like she's speaking from personal experience." Naruto laughs.

Sasuke rolls his eyes and whacks Naruto upside the head with a pillowcase. "Pervert." Naruto was about to retort that yes he was and that Sasuke _**loved**_ it when he saw the other messages.

 _"Sasuke, we met at the Sharingan Charity Ball? Are you ready to discuss further negotiations? Call me at any time. You have both my business line and my personal cell. ~ Konan._

Naruto twitches at that. These people really just didn't know when to give up. Though he supposed that message wasn't too bad.

 _ **Hey, Sassy! Just wanted to make sure that everything is okay? You took off pretty fast with that bridle. Did you show Naruto who was boss? ~ Suigetsu.**_

Naruto blinks. The bridle had been Suigetsu's idea?! He wasn't really sure how to feel about that. On one hand, it had been awesome sex. On the other hand, it was kinda creepy that Suigetsu was giving Sasuke sex advice.

Actually, he took that back. It was more than kinda creepy. It was really fucking creepy!

"Naruto, don't give me that look." Sasuke shrugs. "Suigetsu is my friend." Uh huh. "It's normal for friends to give each other relationship advice and besides, you know you liked it." The Uchiha smirks at him.

Well damn it! How was Naruto supposed to argue with that logic, especially when Sasuke was smirking at him in such a sexy way? He couldn't. That's how.

"Whatever." The blonde sighs heavily, knowing that he had lost this particular battle and he didn't find that fair at all." Who else called you? Mr. Popular?"

 **"Sasuke, be careful. I'm pretty sure that Orochimaru is still lurking around somewhere. Hell, even Suigetsu is worried. The Akatsuki can be rather ruthless. Don't underestimate them. ~ Jugo.**

Wow. Even Jugo was calling Sasuke. This was some seriously hardcore stuff. Though he couldn't blame the gentle giant for being worried.

Naruto knew more than enough about the Akatsuki to realize they were bad news. The only reason someone made it into their ranks was if they had a proven track record of being utterly ruthless and getting results. Sometimes through borderline illegal methods.

"That's pretty ominous." Sasuke mutters.

He was also damn sure they did some illegal stuff too. Unfortunately, the bastards knew the law backwards and forwards. And even if they didn't, they had an army of a legal team on their side to cover any slip ups.

It would be almost impossible to catch them actually doing something illegal AND prove it in a court of law. Many have tried and many had failed to do so. It was a sobering thought to put it mildly.

He sighs and kisses Sasuke's cheek. "Just be careful." The sapphire eyed man didn't like this. "They harassed Madara for years. These aren't the type of people who give up easily." Or ever.

They never gave up. Seriously, the Akatsuki were like starving dogs after a steak dinner or something. There was almost nothing that they wouldn't do when it came to achieving their goals.

"Speaking of harassing, the rest of the messages were from Orochimaru." Sasuke frowns as he reads them.

There was no point in reading all of them. That would be just a waste in time. Instead he decides to read the most frantic.

 **I know that a woman named Konan has probably already approached you and that I did not introduce myself in the best light. You must believe me though, the Akatsuki is ruthless. They will offer you a fraction of what Mangekyo Wine's is worth. You could instead join my latest business venture and we could all become extremely wealthy. You don't need the Akatsuki. You only need me. ~ Orochimaru.**

"I take back everything that I said or thought about Suigetsu." Naruto sighs. "Orochimaru is the REAL freak!"

Sasuke could only nod in agreement. What disturbed him more than Orochimaru's freakishness was the fact that somehow the former Akatsuki Member had gotten his private phone number.

"Great." Sasuke shakes his head in disbelief. "I have a stalker."

Actually, if he was being completely honest with himself, he had two. Konan and Orochimaru. And that wasn't even counting the rest of the Akatsuki. What the Hell had he just gotten himself into?


	17. Chapter 17

Something About Country Boys

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 17

The next morning, Itachi stretches as he heads to the kitchen and prepares to make coffee. Ah caffeine. Glorious caffeine. That substance that made it possible for his brain to be functional before Noon. Truly, it was a gift from the Heavens in his mind.

"That's impressive." Sasuke snickers as he bites into his toast.

Itachi raises an eyebrow. Oh. So his foolish little brother wanted to be foolish before he'd even had one drop of coffee in his system. Alright. If the younger Uchiha wanted to live life on the edge. So be it.

Well he supposed it was time to see just how foolish is brother was planning to be. "And what is so impressive to you?" He finishes making himself a cup of coffee and begins drinking it.

Whatever Sasuke was planning, obviously Itachi was going to need lots of caffeine to deal with it. That much was glaringly apparent.

"Hmm. Who would have thought that Gaara was the gentle type." Sasuke smirks. "I guess he took it easy on your ass because he knows what a delicate princess you are."

Suddenly, Itachi was choking on his coffee! What?! What had Sasuke just said to him?!

"WHAT?!" The elder Uchiha sputters in outrage as a dark blush quickly spread across his handsome face. "What did you just say?!"

Sasuke's smirk only continues to grow. "Well from the way Gaara was all over you last night, I can only assume he topped." It was a bit unnerving, really. "It's nice that he's so considerate of you."

Itachi twitches. Oh that was it. Sasuke was asking for it! So he was going to get it!

He pokes the other man's forehead. "You're such a child sometimes." Truly. "And for your information, Gaara and I are in a relationship of equals. There's no need for one of us to take control all of the time."

"Owe!" Sauke rubs his forehead. "Damn it, Itachi!" He did love watching his brother squirm. "That's going to leave a bruise!"

"Awe what's the matter?" Itachi smirks at his sulking baby brother. "Are you worried that Naruto won't want you, if he sees the bruise?"

Normally, that would have been beneath him. This wasn't normally though. No. His foolish little brother had decided to tease him about his love life and thus, Itachi was going to fight fire with fire!

Sasuke's face burns bright crimson as he sputters. "Y-You're such an idiot sometimes!" Ah ha!

This was going to prove positively delightful. He could tease Sasuke about his lover all day. Though Itachi was still going to have speak with Gaara about their lovemaking locations.

It was more than apparent, that they would have to take greater care to get caught. Sasuke would never let him live it down otherwise. To be fair though, that was just part of what it meant to have a brother. You were supposed to tease one another.

* * *

Meanwhile Gaara rolls his eyes. Naruto was trying to hide it, but the red head could tell. His friend was snickering.

He was snickering at the red head. Which could only mean one thing. The idiot had gotten an eyeful. Gaara was never going to live this down.

"How much did you see?" He sighs resignedly.

Naruto had the audacity to shoot him an innocent look. For a moment, the rancher owner could easily picture a halo and two fluffy white wings behind Naruto. Though there were definitely some horns holding up that halo!

Meaning, he wasn't going to fall for the innocent act. The red head knew his friend far too well for that. Though he did give the other man points for trying; it was still a very futile effort.

"I have no idea what you mean." The blonde grins at him as he feeds one of the many horses.

That was the nice thing about living so close together. He and Naruto were easily able to help each other with their businesses. Of course, as with anything else…there were some drawbacks.

The biggest one was privacy. One never knew when they were going to walk in on something that they shouldn't have seen. This apparently was one of those times!

The rancher owner was trying his best not to roll his eyes again. Unfortunately, without much success. "Naruto, we've known each other forever. I'm not buying the innocent act." This was Naruto Uzumaki, after all.

"Damn." Naruto snickers. "Well it was worth a try."

Gaara shrugs. Well that was true enough, but he still wanted to know what his friend had or hadn't seen. He loved Naruto like a brother, but that didn't mean he wanted the sapphire eyed brewery owner to see him or his lover lost in a compromising position!

His eyes narrow at that thought. "Yes, but what did you see?" Gaara was going to go crazy, if he didn't know.

"Relax, we just saw you and Itachi making out on the couch." He grins from ear to ear. "Though it was obvious that you were about to do more."

Wait. We?! What was this we?! Oh fuck no! Sasuke had been with Naruto. Sasuke had gotten an eyeful of them swapping saliva.

"Was Sasuke with you?" The red head groans, feeling the first twinges of a migraine coming on.

Naruto laughs. The blonde was one of the friendliest people that the ranch owner had ever had the privilege to meet, but he did have a subtly sadistic streak. It rarely came out, but when it did…well it never ended well for Gaara. Like now, for instance.

His friend was obviously having a grand ole time teasing him. "Yeah." Naruto nods. "He was. Boy was he freaked out!" Naruto smirks. "Don't worry though. I made sure that he wasn't too traumatized."

Gaara was almost afraid to ask, but he would anyway. Curiosity really could be an evil bitch sometimes.

"What'd you do?" He stares at him pointedly. "And you might as well tell me now because you know one way or another, I will find out."

Naruto's eyes dance with mischief and yeah, Gaara was regretting even asking that question. "We had really amazing Shower Sex!" Naruto smirks.

Yeah. Next time, Gaara wasn't going to ask. He didn't want to know.

"Right." He rolls his eyes. "Well I probably wouldn't tell Itachi that." That would just be awkward, hearing the lewd details about your sibling's sex life!

Gaara should know. He had one older brother and one older sister. And the red head was most certainly not eager to hear about that particular aspect of their personal lives!

"Yeah." Naruto nods. "Itachi can be pretty scary." The blonde snickers. "Maybe, we can have a double wedding someday though."

A double wedding? Now, that would be complete and utter chaos. Which of course meant that sooner or later, Naruto was going to push for it. Chaos was after all, his specialty.

* * *

Elsewhere Orochimaru sighs as he waits for Kabuto to arrive. Kabuto was his ace hidden up his sleeve. It was regrettable that Jugo and Suigetsu had failed him so spectacularly, but he was a former Akatsuki.

Akatsuki's didn't just have Plan B's. They had plans for every letter of the alphabet. Honestly, those two fools should have been well aware of that. Well no matter. No matter.

"Mr. Sannin, I presume?" A silver haired youth walks into his office.

The youth in question was named Kabuto. He was Orochimaru's Trump Card. The man was both a skilled academic, corporate spy, and willing to do anything to please him.

In short, Kabuto was his right hand man. It really was as simple as though. Of course, Orochimaru didn't like to deploy him without good reason. By the time anything had gone array enough for Kabuto's unique services to be warranted, that meant that the elderly man was already desperate.

Though this the first time they had spoken face to face. "Yes, I am he." He smirks. "And you must be Kabuto. Please, have a seat." Orochimaru smiles slyly as he pulls out the other man's chair.

Kabuto nods at him gratefully and sits down. He had been keeping the young man briefed of the situation since the beginning. So Kabuto knew what he was up again and had likely already used that brilliant mind of his to come up with a plan.

"I am indeed and thank you." He smiles at him. "I must say that this is a rather unusual situation."

That was putting it mildly. Orochimaru still couldn't believe that the Akatsuki had betrayed him so swiftly and easily over one mistake. Though he supposed that was irrelevant in the end. He would make them pay.

One way or another, he would make the Akatsuki pay. Anyone who crossed Orochimaru Sannin always ended up regretting it. It was one of his many life mottos.

He nods in agreement. "Yes, which is why I asked for your help specifically." They both knew why, but he would say it anyway. "You have wonderful expertise when it comes to dealing with unusual situations."

Kabuto smirks at that and pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Disposal or persuasion?"

It was obvious what the other man meant by disposal. Kabuto was asking if he wanted one or both of the Uchiha Brothers dead. "Persuasion would be my preference." No. That wasn't what he wanted.

Though if absolutely necessary, well Orochimaru didn't get where he was today by having a weak stubborn. If there was truly no other way, he would have Kabuto find a way to dispatch the brothers.

"Very well." The silver haired man smiles at him. "I'll see what I can do for you about this matter." He pauses and adds. "I'm surprised you didn't just have Jugo and Suigetsu use persuasion though."

Orochiamru's lips curl in disgust at the names of those traitors. Oh he had tried. It just hadn't worked.

He clenches his pencil so tightly in his hand that it snaps in half. "Let's just say that their employee loyalty was somewhat lacking." That was an understatement. "And we have gone our separate ways."

"Ah. Of course." Kabuto rises to his feet. "Well then I shall say no more on that unpleasant matter." He smirks at Orochimaru. "After all, you've given me a job to do and I intend to do it to the best of my abilities. Those two fools are irrelevant, if they truly didn't appreciate everything that you've done for them." And with that, Kabuto leaves Orochimaru's Office.

Orochimaru shoves the broken pencil fragments into the trashcan and sighs. "If anyone can settle this once and for all, it's Kabuto." It really was that simple.

* * *

The next day, Sasuke still didn't understand how it happened, but they were back in the city. He was in a nightclub again. This time with Naruto, Gaara, and Itachi.

He didn't know what shocked him more the fact Naruto was in a nightclub or his brother. Naruto was wild, but it was a very natural wild. Sasuke would have thought he'd hate to be jammed into a relatively small space and surrounded by a bunch of sweaty, frisky, and likely a half drunk strangers who were grinding away to the music.

"I never thought that I'd see you in a nightclub." Sasuke laughs softly at his brother as they wait for Gaara and Naruto to come back with the drinks. "Kinda seems like it violates some fundamental law of nature."

Itachi merely shrugs in that infuriatingly serene way, he had of doing. "I never thought you'd be into blondes, but here we are." He chuckles. "It seems that we're both just full of surprises today."

Yeah. That was true. Sasuke had never thought he'd fall for a blonde either. Let alone a country boy, but he had. Damn Itachi!

His brother was **always** right. He was right about jeans. Damn. Naruto had a great ass and it looked even better in a pair of jeans and fuck! He really _shouldn't_ have worn black leather pants to a nightclub!

"Remind me again, why I wore these ridiculous pants." Sasuke sighs.

They were suddenly feeling rather uncomfortable. "Because Naruto apparently has a fetish for seeing foolish Uchihas in leather?" Itachi muses.

Yeah. That's right. His boyfriend had half pleaded and half demanded he wear these stupid pants. And well, Sasuke had been completely helpless when it came to resisting Naruto's Puppy Eyes.

Seriously, it should be illegal to have eyes that _blue_ or to make such an adorable expression. It just wasn't right. Surely, there was some Cute Speed limit or something!

Whatever that limit was though, Sasuke knew for damn sure that the blonde had exceeded it. "Oh right." And speaking of his hot blonde, Naruto was making his way over to him now.

"Hey, I got you some vodka." Naruto grins at Sasuke.

That evil bastard! Naruto knew damn well that stuff did to him!

Sasuke shakes his head. "Thanks, but maybe I should save that for later." He probably should have known that wasn't going to fly.

Not with a guy like Naruto anyway. The brewery owner never did anything halfway. That much was for damn sure!

"Well alright." Naruto shakes his own head as if he was disappointed. "If you don't think that you can handle it, I'll just have it and get you something tamer."

Sasuke twitches at that. "I don't need something tamer!" And as to prove his point, he snatches the shot out of the blonde's hand and downs with one big gulp.

Wow." His boyfriend blinks. "That actually worked." He grins at Sasuke. "Alright, come dance with me."

Before Sasuke could issue a scathing retort to his very sneaky lover, the blonde wisely decides to drag the sulking Uchiha to the dance floor. At that point, Sasuke sighs and decides to just go with it.

Slightly intoxicated sexy dancing with his boyfriend might be fun. "Do you lead or follow for dancing?" Sasuke glances at him.

"With an ass like yours, I'm definitely leading!" Naruto grins. "I mean damn that'd be awesome for grinding up against me."

Sasuke shakes his head in amusement as he dances with his lover. Naruto was Naruto. It was impossible to stay angry with him over anything.

* * *

Elsewhere Pain sighs as he runs his fingers through Konan's hair. Apparently, Sasuke hadn't returned his lover's call.

Life could be strange, he muses to himself. Pain was actually upset that another man didn't seem at all interested in returning beloved's phone calls. Well he supposed that was what business did to you.

"Mmm. I know that look on your face." Konan rests her head on his chest. "You're bemused at your own lack of jealousy." The bluenette laughs softly. "It probably has something to do with the fact he's gay."

Oh yes. That might be why. Normally, Pain was the jealous type. Who could blame him though? A woman like Konan certainly received more than her fair share of male attention. It was only natural that he would be a bit territorial.

"You don't think Deidara is going to do something stupid, do you?" It was a dumb question and he knew it. "Like blow up their mailbox."

He was only half joking. The borderline psychotic blonde had apparently done that to his least favorite teacher in high school. Honestly, it was nothing short of a miracle that Deidara hadn't ended up in prison yet.

Konan gives him a look of complete and utter disbelief and he knew the reason why. "Of course, he's going to try to do something stupid." She shakes her head at him. "He wouldn't be Deidara, if he didn't."

Well that was most assuredly true. Though truth be told, one had to have a few screw loose to fit into the Akatsuki. He had often been told he had a God complex. Konan was a dominatrix. Deidara was a borderline arsonist. Kakuzu worshipped money. Hidan belonged to a cult. Sasori had a thing for puppets. (Don't ask). Kisame was obsessed with sharks. And well, Orochimaru been well Orochimaru.

Enough said really. That man had always felt off to Pain. It was hard to explain exactly. There was just something rather predatory about him. Even more so than usual for an Akatsuki and that was certainly saying something.

"True enough, My Love." He smiles at her. "Beauty and brains." Pain kisses her. "How did I ever get so lucky?"

"Your cute butt and tongue mostly." She answers him without missing a beat.

Pain couldn't help, but chuckle at that. Yes, their physical relationship was certainly one of his favorite parts of their arrangement. Though it was far from the only part.

"I see. So you only want me for my body then." He laughs.

Konan nods without any hint of shame. "Exactly." She looks up at him with eyes that were dancing with mischief because they both knew that was a lie.

* * *

Back at the club, Gaara smiles as he enjoys some whiskey with Itachi. He knew it made his lover frisky and well that was the point. For the moment though, they were just engaged in some pleasant conversation.

"So have you always wanted to be a horse rancher?" Itachi smiles at him.

Gaara pauses as he considers the question. "No. There was a brief period in time where I considered going into politics." He chuckles at the thought. "Like most children, I briefly entertained the thought of becoming president."

Itachi nods at that, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "Well I don't believe the Secret Service has ever protected an ass as fine as yours before. They probably would have appreciated it." He smirks.

That was his lover. Not only was he amazing at all things sensual in nature that they had explored thus far together, Itachi was also an excellent conversationalist. Maybe, he should have been the lawyer instead of the economist in the Uchiha Family.

"You're too kind." Gaara smirks as he briefly captures Itachi's lips in a heated kiss.

Itachi happily returns it. "Mmm. So what made you change your mind? Why did you decide to be a horse rancher instead of president?" He glances at Gaara curiously, after breaking the kiss.

"I decided that I'm simply not patient enough to pander to that many people and well there is the age requirement." Gaara rolls his eyes at the very thought of it. "You have to be thirty-five to even have a shot."

That was true. Itachi had always thought of that as a rather stupid requirement. The majority of people were never going to vote for someone under a certain age anyway. Why not let the "kids" try it?

"Yes, that's true." Itachi laughs at the very thought. "By those standards, I can't even run."

Gaara nods as he grabs them too more shots of whiskey. "We can always call a cab." That was true, Itachi muses.

He was rather fortunate to have such a responsible lover. Many people took complete leave of their senses when they had too much to drink. Not Gaara though.

Well to be fair, living next to a brewery and winery probably had something to do with that. If anyone had had ample opportunity to build up a tolerance it was the sexy red head sitting in front of him.

"That'd be a good idea." He snorts in amusement. "Well no current presidential ambitions then. I suppose I can overlook that." Itachi smirks playfully. "You might regain your drive for world domination again after you turn thirty."

Gaara laughs and shakes his head. "Well it's possible." He places his hand on Itachi's thigh. "After all, the idea of having a First Gentleman is an intriguing one."

Maybe, he should stop drinking. It wasn't only Itachi who got frisky from whiskey, it seemed. Then again, that was probably just because his boyfriend was gorgeous in general. It was almost impossible not to feel frisky around him!

"First Gentleman." Itachi pretends to scoff. "Who are you planning on replacing me with?!"

Gaara laughs and kisses Itachi again. "No one." Not now, not ever!

* * *

At that moment, Kabuto walks into the nightclub. He had done his research and realized that the Uchiha Brothers had gone here tonight. Now, all he had to do was find them.

Sadly, that was easier said than done. Still, that wouldn't stop him. Orochimaru wouldn't have called Kabuto, if he couldn't handle difficult situations. Difficult situations consisted of his standard workdays.

He looks around until he comes upon a splash of bright yellow hair and a black one. Kabuto takes out his phone and looks at the picture that Orochimaru had given him.

The picture that showed the Uchiha Brothers and their boyfriends. "Well there is one of my targets." Though if he was really going to have much hope of success, he had to get Sasuke away from Blondie!

"Naruto, we're going to have to leave if you keep that up." Sasuke laughs as he grinds back against him. "It's really not that kind of club."

Ah good! He was within hearing range. Tragically, that didn't mean that he was in grabbing range. There were simply too many witnesses and the attractive couple was drawing more than their fair share of attention.

This was going to be a challenge, but that was fine. Orochimaru had given Kabuto a task and he would see it to completion. Mostly because of the big fat paycheck that would likely result from doing so, but also because it was Orochimaru.

That man was truly Kabuto's idol. "We're not doing anything that the other dancers aren't." Naruto laughs as he nibbles on Sasuke's ear.

Those hands of the blonde's were really going everywhere. This was starting to turn into quite the show. Normally, Kabuto preferred women. There were some exceptions though.

These two were definitely an exception. He really hoped that dispatching them didn't become necessary. It was really liked watching the Sun and Moon together. There was something poetic about it.

"Yeah, but I know that it won't stay that way." Sasuke smirks at Naruto. "Let's go and find my brother and blow this place."

Naruto grins at that and well, Kabuto couldn't really blame him. "Sounds like a plan to me!" If someone with Sasuke's ass in those leather pants said that to him, he'd be ready to leave the club too!

The blonde quickly drags his lover off and Kabuto follows. It was so easy to follow them without being noticed in a place like this. Now, he just had to figure out how to get one of the Uchiha Brothers alone and _persuade_ them to sell.

It was easier said than done. Still, failure was not an option. And well, Kabuto had a perfect track record of success so far. He wasn't going to let a couple of brothers ruin that. No matter how hot they might be or what their last name was.


	18. Chapter 18

Something About Country Boys

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. Sorry about the late update. I got sidetracked by my other stories. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter and for those of you who are interested, feel free to check out the new poll on my profile.

Chapter 18

"Damn, he's good." Sasuke blinks as he watches Jugo haul those insanely heavy barrels of whiskey.

Naruto laughs at that and kisses his boyfriend's cheek. A few weeks had passed since he had finally dragged his boyfriend's sexy ass to a nightclub and seen the glory that was Sasuke in leather. Since then, the Brewery and Mangekyo Wines had each hired a new employee.

Jugo had gone to work at Naruto's Brewery. The big guy really did come in handy when it came to moving heavy merchandise. Not that Naruto was exactly a slouch in that department, but damn Jugo could probably bench press at least four or five Naruto's. It was impressive!

Sasuke smiles at the kiss. "Yeah. He is." Which made Naruto understand why people said they had butterflies in their stomach sometimes.

That old saying was suddenly making a Hell of a lot more sense, now that he was dating Sasuke. Though he was sure that the lawyer (and now Vineyard/Winery owner) felt the same way about him.

Oh wait. He was getting distracted! Back to Jugo and Suigetsu. While the large man had quickly made himself useful at the brewery, Suigetsu was now working at Mangekyo Wines.

"So how is the pervert doing?" That's what Naruto called Suigetsu.

The pervert. It suited him because it so did not escape the brewery owner's notice when the guy checked out Sasuke's ass or got just a little too handsy with his boyfriend.

The only reason why Suigetsu wasn't in the hospital right about now is because Sasuke rebuffed his newest employee quickly and the younger Uchiha Brother assured Naruto that Suigetsu was just really that flirtatious. That he hit on almost anything that moved.

Sasuke rolls his eyes at that description. "You're asking how your doing?" The raven haired man smirks at that. "I don't know, how are you?" Pft. Cheeky Bastard.

"I mean the _other_ pervert!" Not him! "You know what I meant!"

Anyway, now the white haired man worked at Mangekyo Wines. He must have been doing something right because Itachi and Sasuke hadn't fired him yet. Naruto was a little disappointed at that, but at the same time it would have been cruel to Jugo.

Those two were obviously tight. If Suigetsu got sacked, there was at least a 50-50 shot that the gentle giant would just resign and that would suck. Jugo was a good employee and he was nice. (Which made the blonde wonder what the Hell was he doing with someone like Suigetsu for a friend, but he digressed)!

His lover snorts in amusement. "He's doing fine." Sasuke shrugs. "Sugietsu really loves to crush the grapes."

Yeah. That did seem like something Suigetsu would like. Crushing stuff. The guy was more than a little psychotic sometimes!

"Is he still jealous of Suigetsu?" Gaara laughs as he strides over with Itachi by his side.

The three of them were all outside and just outside of one of the buildings were Naruto stashed his products and damn, did he keep a lot of product! Naruto was rather proud at how diverse his inventory was!

Sasuke smirks at that and nods. "Almost insanely so." Ha! It was completely justified because the other man kept undressing Sasuke with his eyes.

"I wouldn't be too hard on him." Itachi smiles as he wraps his arm around Gaara's waist. "After all, you did almost bite that one waitress's head off for flirting with him last week."

Oh yeah. That had been kinda scary at the time, but now it was more funny than anything. It was also good to know that Naruto wasn't the only one who got jealous.

Sasuke actually blushes a bit at that. "She was the one who looked like she wanted to grab his ass." He was really cute when he blushed.

Not that Naruto was suicidal enough to tell his boyfriend that! Sasuke would kill him! It was still really cute though!

* * *

Orochimaru was at his wits' end as he stared at Kabuto's latest email. To most people, it was perfectly generic. Which was exactly what made the other man's emails so useful.

To him though, it was a symbol of failure. Kabuto still had yet to deliver results. He was supposed to be the owner of Mangekyo Wines by now. At the moment, his only consolation was the fact that the Akatsuki hadn't yet purchased it either.

 ** _Dear Investor,_**

 ** _I know that you're very eager to sink your teeth into this latest opportunity. Unfortunately, there have been a couple snags in sealing the deal. I'm still quite certain the owners will eventually sell though._**

 ** _Sincerely, Himura._**

Himura was a fake name that Kabuto had come up with. He was also sending his work from a fake email. The man was very clever about hiding his tracks. Orochimaru wasn't using his official email either and would eventually wipe his computer when this was all said and done.

One could never be too careful these days. Any decent hacker could make someone's life a living Hell, if they really wanted to. The Digital Age was both wondrous and terrifying.

"He's been saying that for weeks." Orochimaru sighs as he pours himself some coffee.

This was getting ridiculous. His new business had hit the ground running, but it would likely never be on par with the Akatsuki. He was simply outnumbered. Though that was fine.

He didn't need to surpass them. Just to cut into their profits and steal Mangekyo Wines from out under their nose. He wanted to hit them where it would hurt them most. Their pride.

"After all, I have more than enough money to retire in luxury." Anything else he brought in at this point was a bonus. "Which does sound appealing, but first I'm going to buy Mangekyo and make Pain regret his treachery!"

One mistake should not undo decades of work. It simply was unjust, but Orochimaru would rectify it all soon enough. That much he was certain of.

"Sir, there is a Mr. Hoshigaki for you on line one." The voice of his secretary pierces through his thoughts.

Orochimaru blinks at that. "Very well. I shall take his call." What on Earth could Kisame want with him at the moment?

Perhaps, the Akatsuki had finally come to their senses and wanted him back? Hmm. Did he want to go back after they so callously cast him aside? An interesting question to ponder.

"Hey!" Yes, that was Kisame's semi annoying voice. "Look, I know that you didn't leave on the best terms." That was putting it mildly. "But come on, this doesn't have to be a war."

Yes, it did. Pain would regret what he had done to Orochimaru. Though it was good to know that Kisame was somewhat sympathetic to his side. Perhaps, he'd be a good ally.

He shakes his head. "No. I'm afraid that it does." Orochimaru smirks. "Mangekyo Wines will be mine, but you're more than welcome to join me here. Granted, it isn't as large as the Akatsuki, but there are less people here so you would have a bigger stake."

"You're kidding, right?" Kisame's response makes him twitch. "You're good, Orochimaru. Creepy and smart as Hell and everything, but you're not a match for the Akatsuki by yourself. Even with my help, you're just outnumbered. This isn't a fight that you can win."

Orchimaru slams his fist in to the table. "We'll see about that." And promptly hangs up on Kisame.

So that's how they wanted to play it then! A pity call to encourage him to lay down his arms so to speak. Well if they expected him to just escort himself out, they were sorely mistaken! Orochimaru was not a man who gave up! Ever!

* * *

A short while later, Gaara chuckles as he watches Itachi ride a thoroughbred. While his lover was still getting used to horseback riding and understandably a bit wary about getting thrown off, there was something tremendously enticing about the sight.

It also amused him to no end that Itachi was riding on a white thoroughbred. There were so many fairy tales that involved a handsome prince on a white horse. The parallels were simply too amusing not to note.

"He's not going to throw me off, is he?" Itachi's dark eyes look at Gaara more than a little anxiously.

The red head chuckles in response and shakes his head. "No, I don't think he's going to throw you." That was a very mellow horse and Itachi's riding skills had improved tremendously since his arrival.

That and Gaara wasn't too worried. He was right there. In the unlikely event something went wrong, well he would save the prince for a change.

Not that he considered himself a princess. Gaara was more like a peasant who had gotten extremely lucky and won over Itachi.

"Good." Itachi smiles at that. "Because I'd rather not have that written on my tombstone. Here Lies Itachi Uchiha. He was a genius about most things, but the idiot got killed when a horse threw him." The other man chuckles at the thought.

Gaara clucks his tongue disapprovingly at his lover. "I'd rather not discuss tombstones." At least not for a very long time. "Though I won't let that happen." Madara's death was still far too fresh in his mind.

Itachi nods at that and slowly dismounts the horse before walking over to Gaara and kissing him. "I'm sorry." Between heated kisses, he issues an apology. "That was thoughtless of me. I shouldn't have broached that subject even in jest."

He shouldn't have, but the ranch owner was blessed with a very perceptive lover. Apparently, the elder Uchiha Brother knew exactly where Gaara's mind had gone to and he more than capable of navigating those treacherous waters.

The waters that he sought to avoid as much as possible. He still couldn't believe that Madara was really gone, but the proof was standing right before him. Itachi wouldn't be here, if it wasn't for his mentor's demise.

"It's not your fault." Gaara smiles. "At least now, I have you here to kiss away all my troubles rather than just bitch about them to Naruto." Naruto was always a sympathetic ear to be sure, but the red head would take Kissing Sessions over Bitching Sessions any day of the week.

"Well in that case, it seems that we have a lot more kissing to do." Itachi smirks at him as he caresses his cheek. "Just to be on the safe side, of course."

Gaara smirks back. "Yes, just to be on the safe side." It was after all, better to be safe than sorry. "Best to be thorough, really." And with that, he captures Itachi's lips with his own and forgets all of his worries for a few blissful hours in the stables with Itachi.

* * *

At that same moment, Naruto watches Sasuke in the kitchen. Which was always hot. Sasuke did everything with precision and a ruthless determination, even cooking. He was probably the only guy that the blonde knew who could make cutting carrots look hot.

"Damn it." Sasuke sighs. "We're out of milk." Oh that sucked. "Do you or Gaara have any?"

Milk? Ha! He was a brewery owner. He could have supplied his beloved with almost any alcoholic beverage, but he and Gaara were running a little low on groceries.

They had been planning on going shopping soon, but well the Uchiha Brothers were just so damn distracting! How were they ever supposed to concentrate on something as mundane as shopping with their sexy asses walking around?!

Yeah! That's what he thought. "Sorry, we're out." Concentrating on stuff like that was impossible when you had such hot boyfriends.

"Do you think you can run to the store and grab some while I get started on the stuff?" Sasuke looks at him.

Sasuke wanted him to play Fetch, apparently. "Sure. As long as I get a reward when I get back for being a good boy." Naruto laughs.

The blonde was more than fine with that though. He doubted there was very much that the younger Uchiha Brother could ask for that he'd actually say no to. It probably wasn't healthy, but whatever. He'd worry about that later.

"Such an eager golden retriever." Sasuke smirks. "Fine. After dinner, we can makeout and watch one of those Westerns you like so much."

Now, that sounded really, really promising! "Really?!" Sasuke usually didn't care too much for Westerns. He thought they were cliché or whatever. (Naruto just thought his boyfriend was a bit of a movie snob, who couldn't appreciate the classics though)!

Sasuke nods. "Yeah. Now, go get it!" Damn, Sasuke was hot when he was bossy!

"Alright, I'll be back soon!" And with that, Naruto was off to the races! (Well more specifically the store, but whatever)!

* * *

Unbeknownst to the happy couples, they were being watched. By a certain bespectacled man wearing glasses from his car.

"Orochimaru is getting impatient." That much was obvious.

If he didn't hurry and obtain Mangekyo Wines soon, his employer was going to give him the boot. That meant that Kabuto had to act soon. And by soon, he meant tonight.

That was why he had been staking the place out so much. Fortunately, the fields were high enough that they obscured even his car from view. They'd never see him coming.

"It's such a shame that they couldn't see reason." He sighs to himself.

Of course, Kabuto had tried it do this the civilized way. With Itachi, he had tried to appeal to his business sense. The man was an economist, after all. That hadn't worked.

So he tried another approach with Sasuke and Naruto. The fun way. Unfortunately, all his advances whether they were business or personal had been rebuffed by the Sun and Moon. That as disappointing, but not his main concern at the moment.

He smirks as he sees Naruto coming out of the house. "Perfect." Now, he just had to wait a few more minutes for the blonde to be within striking range.

Kabuto wasn't happy about having to resort to such an unsavory method like kidnapping, but a job was a job. Besides, he wasn't actually going to hurt the blonde. He was just going to scare the Hell out of his boyfriend and force Sasuke to convince Itachi to join in him in selling Mangekyo to "save Naruto's life."

Naruto continues racing towards his car. "Man, did I forget my keys?" He sighs as he catches his pocket.

Now! Now! Was the time to strike! "Doesn't matter whether you forgot them or not. Goodnight!" And with that, the silver haired man fires his tranquilizer.

Naruto's expression was rather stunned as he slowly stumbled onto the ground. "What the Hell?!" His words came out in a barely coherent slur, but Kabuto was sure he heard them anyway.

He had to give the guy this much. Naruto Uzumaki was a fighter, but one couldn't win against biology. Kabuto had made sure that the dose was enough to knock out a man twice Naruto's size.

Kabuto waits for a few minutes to ensure that Naruto was really unconscious. The last thing he needed to deal with was a semi conscious blonde struggling against him. His calls might alert the Uchihas or Gaara that something was going on.

At this hour, the silver haired man was fairly confident that employees wouldn't be an issue. Still, one never knew. The most important rule in kidnapping was obviously not to get caught!

"I probably should hit the gym more." Kabuto sighs as he picks up Naruto and starts dragging the other man towards his car.

Why was Naruto so heavy? It was probably muscle mass, he decides. The brewery owner certainly wasn't fat. Maybe, Kabuto was too use to relying on academic approaches. They were less messy, but there were times when force was necessary though! Like right now!

It probably took him the better part of five minutes, but he eventually throws the blonde into the car and drives off. "Now, I just need to get him away from here and I'll notify Sasuke of his disappearance." And then, the fun would start!

* * *

About an hour later, Itachi was enjoying some more heated kisses with his favorite when head when Sasuke runs into the stable. His eyes were wide with panic and he was screaming his head off.

"HE TOOK HIM!" And he wasn't making any sense.

Itachi sighs as he grabs onto Sasuke and tries to restrain his panicking brother. "Sasuke, slow down." What on Earth had happened to his foolish little brother?! "Tell us what happened? Who took who?"

Upon hearing the question, Sasuke hands Itachi his phone and Gaara frowns as he reads it over the other man's shoulder. A kidnapping. Someone had kidnapped Naruto.

 ** _I do apologize. I truly, never wanted things to go down this way. If you wish to see Naruto again, you will sign the papers necessary to sell Mangekyo Wines. We'll make an exchange. Your business for your blonde. I've enclosed the drop off location alone. Don't even think about calling the authorities. If I see the police coming, I will shoot him. ~ The Middleman._**

"Unbelievable!" Gaara's eyes narrow. "Someone actually kidnapped him because they wanted to buy Mangekyo?!"

Itachi was of a similar mind. This was going too far. Of course, the Akatsuki and Orochimaru had both been ridiculously persistent about the entire affair, but he had never thought that either of them would stop so low.

Sasuke's eyes were practically burning with hatred. "We have to go there." And frankly, Itachi couldn't blame him.

If their roles had been reversed, he would have been spitting bullets. The very thought of someone touching Gaara was enough to make him want to kill something or someone. He could only imagine that Sasuke felt the same way about his own lover.

"Yes, we do." Gaara sighs at that. "I'll get Jugo and Suigetsu to come with us." Yeah. That might be a good idea. "He'll shoot if it's the police, but that doesn't mean that we have to come alone."

That was a fair point. Though Itachi wasn't entirely sure the bastard wouldn't shoot Naruto out of spite, Suigetsu and Jugo had been hired by Orochimaru. That could only mean that they were good at this sort of thing. This sort of thuggery.

"Go get them." Sasuke half screams at Gaara as he answers the text. "We don't have any time to waste!"

Every second they spent discussing the situation was another second that something horrible could happen to Naruto. Itachi was just as aware of that as his brother was.

"Right!" Gaara runs off to find the gentle giant and sword lover.

Itachi could only hope that Jugo wouldn't be so gentle this time. If there was anyone in need of a sound thrashing, it was this kidnapper.

* * *

Elsewhere Deidara smirks as he follows Kabuto's car. He was far enough back that the other man hadn't seen him. Not to mention, the artist wasn't driving his usual car either. So that probably had something to do with this.

"This is going to be fun!" He giggles madly!

Sasori rolls his eyes at the other Akatsuki Member, but Deidara didn't care. "Kisame tried to reason with Orochimaru. Obviously that didn't work." That's right! So now the real fun could begin!

They'd deal with Orochimaru and then figure out how to acquire Mangekyo Wines. It was now a matter of pride. The Akatsuki never lost and they weren't about to start now!

"Well Orochimaru has always been stubborn!" Sasori makes a sharp turn, but Deidara was far too happy to care about such things. In fact, it only added to the fun. "Yeah?!"

Sasori nods in agreement. Deidara was in the Akatsuki cause he liked being rich and beating the competition, but Sasori was his partner and far more analytical than him.

He supposed that was why they made a good team. Sasori tended to look before he leapt and controlled Deidara's more reckless impulses to a degree and Deidara kept him from getting boring!

"That's true." Sasori frowns. "He's got someone in the back though." Yeah. Deidara could see a head of blonde hair as well. "And I don't think that they're moving."

Holy shit! Was this an actual kidnapping?! Had Orochimaru lost his mind?! That just wasn't cool! Yeah!

He urges Sasori to drive faster. "If that's the case, we can't lose him!" They had been tailing Kabuto for a few minutes, but Deidara had never expected this.

He had never expected Orochimaru to truly go off of the deepend in such a fashion, but it looked like he had. Now, he was sure things were about to get very interesting because calling the cops was out.

They'd never make it in time! "We won't!" That and Kabuto might actually shoot the poor son of a bitch, even if they did! It was up to them now! Yeah!

"That's right!" Deidara grins. "Because we're the most awesome team in the Akatsuki!"

Sasori chuckles at that as the red head continues driving. "Don't let Konan and Pain hear you say that!"

Well no! Deidara might be crazy, but he wasn't that crazy. Those two could be really, really scary sometimes…even by his own standards. (Which was certainly saying something because it took a lot to scare him)!

"I won't!" He beams at his partner. "So when are you going to let me drive?!"

The other Akatsuki Member just rolls his eyes. "Never." To which Deidara whines. "You'd end up blowing the car up somehow and this is a very expensive car!" Hmpf!

Sasori never let him do anything fun without a fight! That was alright though! Deidara knew he would get his way tonight! Tonight, they were going to knock some sense into Orochimaru's favorite lackey and hopefully, they'd finally acquire Mangekyo Wines and everything would be absolutely perfect! Yeah!


	19. Chapter 19

Something About Country Boys

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this "Battle Chapter."

 **Chapter Notation:** This chapter is rather chaotic and framed from multiple perspectives. (Even more so than usual).

Chapter 19

When Naruto finally came to, he realizes three things. He had a headache from Hell, he was tied up, and that sneaky bastard with the glasses must have kidnapped him! Oh Hell no! That was not going to fly.

"You're awake?" Kabuto voice sounds surprised. "Hmm. I figured with a dose that high, you would have been unconscious for at least a few hours." He smirks at Naruto. "You must have a rather high metabolism."

His metabolism was not the issue at the moment! The issue was that he was in some abandoned warehouse and tied up! Naruto needed to wiggle out of the rope that Kabuto had wound around him and kick some ass!

His eyes narrow at the silver haired man. "I don't know what Oorchimaru is paying you, but I doubt it's worth spending years in prison for kidnapping me or the beating you're going to get when I'm out of these restraints!" He'd make sure the goon knew that soon! Believe it!

"You're rather feisty for someone who is drugged and tied up." Kabuto pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Even if you somehow got out of those restraints, you couldn't possibly beat me in a fight."

Naruto glares at the other man. "Wanna bet?!" He'd show him who was boss! Believe it! Besides, he still had to get Sasuke his milk!

Kabuto snorts in amusement. "Calm down. As long as they sell Mangekyo to me, I'm not going to actually hurt you." This was a ransom?!

This crazy motherfucker actually kidnapped him, just so he could buy Mangekyo Wines?! He was trying to blackmail Sasuke (and Itachi)?! No way! He sure as Hell wasn't going to sit here and be a damsel in distress!

"You sure about that?!" He'd just have to get out of these ropes first!

* * *

"You're kidding me." Suigetsu shakes his head as he gets into a car with Jugo. "I can't believe Orochimaru ordered someone to kidnap Naruto. I always knew that he was crazy, but this is nuts even by his standards."

Jugo couldn't disagree with that, but they really had to get going and fast. He had a pretty good hunch who had taken Naruto and while Kabuto wasn't necessarily violent by nature, the man certainly wasn't opposed to using violence to get his way!

They could discuss how insane Orochimaru was later. "I saw the looks on their faces, it really doesn't look like they're kidding." He sighs and kisses Suigetsu. "You got enough ammo in that gun?"

He and Suigetsu had recently started seeing each other since they both found their new jobs. Of course, they weren't bragging about it or anything yet. Mostly because Suigetsu loved taunting Naruto about Sasuke and well it was amusing to watch the blonde get so worked up about it.

Jugo wasn't worried though. It might have taken them awhile to see what was right in front of their faces, but now that they were together, he didn't think anything was going to keep them apart. And while Suigetsu was certainly flirtatious, he was not the type to stray.

"Mmm you know me." Suigetsu returns the kiss. "I'm always packing big guns with lots of ammo!" He was also a pervert, but Jugo quite liked that about him.

"Good." He smiles and they drive off. "Lets get going." It looked like Gaara, Itachi, and Sasuke were already off to the races.

Suigetsu nods as their car definitely passed the speed limit. "Damn! Red really is a demon when it comes to driving." They were probably going double the speed limit, but Gaara might actually be tripling it!

Note to the kiddies, Suigetsu thinks to himself… _ **Do not try this at home!**_

It would be nothing short of a miracle, if they all made it there in one piece. That or if the cops didn't stop them because damn it, they were asking for it!

* * *

At that same moment, Sasori and Deidara had just parked their care and Sasori was eyeing his blonde friend warily. "Call Kisame and let him know what's going on." He sighs heavily. "I might be able to reason with Kabuto about this and if not, Kisame could possibly knock some sense into him."

Predictably, Deidara starts whining. "Awe come on!" Of course, that wasn't all that the other man was doing. "You never let me have any fun!" He was now sulking.

It was equal parts annoying and ridiculously cute to say the least. "Deidara, just do it or I won't let you have anymore explosives." Well that did the trick because the blonde was soon reaching for his cell phone.

"Hey, Kisame. You got our location?" He beams into the phone. "Good cause we want you here on backup! Suit up!"

Suit up meant bring a gun and make sure it was loaded. Sasori didn't like it, but it was far more likely than not that it would be necessary. If Orochimaru was really at the point where he authorized a kidnapping, that probably meant that Kabuto had permission from his boss to kill.

"Looks like we're going out for sushi then!" Sasori hears Kisame's voice as he heads inside the building and Deidara briefs the other man on the situation.

Sushi was Kisame's code for he was going to rough someone up. Raw fish, like sharks ate. The man really did like sharks too much for it to be healthy in his opinion, but whatever. He had a job to do. He'd worry about his coworkers eccentricities later.

"Gaara, slow down!" Itachi stares at his boyfriend in horror. "I want to save Naruto too, but we can't do that if you get us killed on the way there!"

His friend was beside himself. It was only natural, of course. Naruto had been kidnapped and they had to save him. Though Itachi would really prefer it, if they made it there in one piece!

Sasuke's eyes narrow at that. "No, we're almost there." His brother wasn't doing any better though. "Don't slow down. We can make it." He was worried about his lover and there was no reasoning with him either.

"I'm sorry, Itachi." Gaara shakes his head as he slams on the pedal. "We've got to hurry. There really is no telling what that son of a bitch might do to Naruto!" And there was no telling when they were going to crash into one of the cars on the semi crowded street either!

Did he mention that it was raining and the roads where slick tonight? They were going to have to get very lucky, if they really wanted to make it there and save a certain blonde!

"HEY, WATCH IT!" Another driver screams at Gaara.

The red head didn't care though. He merely flipped him off as he ran through yet another red light! That must have been at least the fourth, if not the sixth one in the span of ten minutes!

Sasuke glances back in the rearview mirror. "Suigetsu and Jugo are right behind us." Which was good, Itachi thinks to himself.

Someone had to keep a level head in this situation and it apparently was not going to be his lover or brother. While Itachi doubted it would be Suigetsu, there was a slight chance that Jugo might keep his composure in this situation. Well he could only hope.

* * *

The Ride from Hell lasted approximately another three minutes as Gaara steers them into a parking lot and they get out of the car. Only to find that hey weren't alone.

"Deidara." Itachi recognizes him immediately.

This guy was from the Akatsuki. Was the Akatsuki actually working with the kidnapper? Maybe, they had gotten it wrong! Maybe, it wasn't Orochimaru, but the Akatsuki that had taken Naruto!

He immediately draws his gun. The elder Uchiha Brother might have been a pacifist in most situations, but this was self-defense.

"Whoa!" Deidara fails as he reaches for his own gun. "Settle down! Yeah?!" The blonde looks frightened. "Sasori just went inside to try to get Kabuto let go of Naruto!"

For some reason, Itachi actually believed him. The Uchiha wasn't sure why that was the case, but it was. He glances at Sasuke, Gaara, and now Jugo and Suigetsu who had just arrived in the parking lot.

"Well someone please tell me what the fuck is going on?" Suigetsu sighs.

Sasuke's eyes narrow. "I think we just got more firepower. We'll let Sasori try to work things out." He smirks. "If nothing else, it will distract the bastard and we can rush at him!"

Well that was actually a rather marvelous idea. Itachi was at a loss for why he hadn't thought of it first, really!

"Perhaps, you're growing out of your foolish phase." Itachi heads towards the building, gesturing for everyone to follow him inside. "That's actually a good idea. Everyone keep quiet and wait for the perfect moment. Don't shoot unless you get a good shot!" The last thing they wanted was to accidentally hit Naruto!

* * *

Meanwhile Mikoto Uchiha was growing rather worried to say the least. They had been calling the boys all day and received no response. Eventually, she had forced Fugaku to come with her to check on them.

"You're even worse than I am sometimes." He shakes his head. "They're probably just working or out riding." Whether he meant the horses or each other, he wasn't entirely certain. Fugaku tried not to think about it too much.

Oh he was quite happy his sons had found love. It was just no parent wanted to picture their children in such positions.

Mikoto gives him a look. "It's better to check to be sure than not know!" With that being said, Fugaku blinks when he looks down and notices that one of the boys must have forgotten their phones.

That was a bad sign, really. He knew how the kids were these days. They rarely ever forgot their phones and while Fugaku knew it was wrong, he couldn't help but glance over their messages.

"Oh dear God!" He stares at it in horror. "Someone has kidnapped Naruto for ransom." He shows Mikoto the message.

His first instinct was to call the cops, but reading that message made him wary of doing so. There was a good chance that the kidnapper might just shoot Naruto!

Mikoto's own eyes were wide with terror. "What are we going to do?!" She looks at her husband.

"We're on a farm." There was only one thing to do. "There are going to be more guns laying around." It was possibly suicidal, but if they could sneak up on the kidnapper, they might be able to take a shot. "Grabs some and we'll head to the address. I suppose it's time to put my old military training to the test."

After all, he had been in the service for awhile. His father had been rather insistent on it. He didn't want Fugaku to think everything would just be handed to him. And well, if nothing else he could shoot.

His wife was another matter though. "I've never shot a gun before." Damn it.

"You might not have to, but all you need to know at the moment is how to aim and pull the trigger." Fugaku caresses her cheek as he looks around for some guns. "Can you do that?"

Mikoto nods at him. "If it's the only way to get our sons' away from this madman, I can." That was his wife.

"Good." And with that, the Uchiha Parents quickly grab some handguns and depart for the warehouse!

* * *

Kabuto's eyes narrow when he hears someone enter the warehouse. "Whose there?!" He pulls out his gun just to be sure that he was ready in case of an attack.

"It's me." A red head slowly makes himself visible, holding his hands up. "I'm not armed." Well that was always a good start. Though what was an Akatsuki Member doing here?!

How had they found out about any of this?! No matter. Maybe, he could shoo him away.

"What do you want?" The silver haired man's eyes were so trained on Sasori that he didn't see Naruto was carefully and slowly loosening the rope around his hands by rubbing it against the pole behind him. "This is really none of your business."

Sasori shakes his head. "I know that Orochimaru is rather fanatic about all of this, but no one has to go to jail over Mangekyo Wines." Oh he wasn't going to jail that much was obvious.

"Hate to but in, but yeah they do!" Naruto finally manages to loosen the rope just enough to yank himself free. "Take this, Bastard!" And slams his fist into Kabuto's back!

Kabuto cries out in pain as he whirls around and turns his gun on Naruto. "You fucking idiot!" He fires off a shot at the blonde. "If you had just stayed still nothing bad would have happened to you!" He was going for a kill shot, but the blonde had managed to dodge somewhat.

"AHHH!" He'd at least hit him in the shoulder though.

Kabuto could see his left sleeve was now rapidly turning red. It might not have been a kill shot, but it might teach the bastard a lesson.

That's when the rescue group made their way inside and was slowly finding hiding places. "Damn it!" Gaara hisses under his breath.

Naruto had gotten out of his bindings, but he had obviously been shot in the shoulder and he was bleeding. Badly! They would need to end this fast.

Kabuto obviously had a gun on him. He wasn't sure about the red head. Though apparently, Deidara did.

"YOU KNOW IT'S NOT NICE TO SHOOT PEOPLE!" Deidara was already firing at Kabuto. "YEAH?!" The idiot was going to get them all killed.

Gaara did see one bullet grazed Kabuto's shirt because there was now blood running across his side, but it wasn't enough. Kabuto was fleeing.

Sasori twitches. "Deidara! I told you to let me handle it!" Unbelievable!

Where these two really going to have a fight about this as Kabuto was getting away?! Nevermind. It wasn't the time to ponder such things because Sasuke was quickly sprinting over to Sasuke and they had a kidnapper on the loose!

"Naruto, it's going to be okay." Sasuke embraces him. "We'll get you to a doctor and we're going to nail this Bastard!"

It was touching, but the red head was far more focused on the latter. Naruto was hurt, but not critically so. "Get him to the car!" Kabuto had made it into the elevator. That would give them some time.

"No way!" Naruto's voice suddenly sounded like a wild animal's growl. "This guy is mine! He was going to try to blackmail Sasuke and Itachi and the fucker kidnapped me!"

"Naruto, while I agree with the sentiment, you need medical treatment!" Itachi was always the voice of reason, Gaara muses. Even now.

That's when Jugo rushes over to try to drag Naruto off with Sasuke and another shot rang out. Kabuto had apparently gone to the top floor and was going to try to pick them off one by one.

"DAMN IT!" Jugo snarls in pain as blood splashes onto the floor.

Jugo's blood on the floor was more than enough to set Suigetsu off. Sasuke almost pitied Kabuto now. The white haired man was impulsive and trigger happy at the best of times.

"This asshole is mine now!" Suigetsu's eyes narrow. "Someone get him and Naruto to the cars!"

Kabuto laughs from his position on the top floor. "Brave words, but I'll shoot you all before you can ever get up there!" It was a lot easier to shoot down than up, Sasuke notes.

* * *

"You know, I always hated your scrawny ass!" Someone bursts into the building. "And now I know why!" It was a blue skinned man that Sasuke recognized as being Kisame from some business articles.

He was an Akatsuki and he was also armed! "I can't believe you were actually such a bitch that you would shoot a guy for trying to help another guy!" With that being said, Kisame fires off a shot high into the air.

Kabuto was lucky and manages to dodge behind some boxes, but that gave him an idea. They just had to keep him distracted while someone got in the elevator and got a better shot.

"Naruto, you're in no condition to fight him head on now, but can you hold a gun?" He brushes his lips against his lover's ear in a whisper.

Naruto nods and his sky blue eyes narrow. "Yeah. I can hold a gun. That son of a bitch is mine!" Sasuke doubted that, but he wasn't going to inform his boyfriend of that fact at the moment.

"Everyone shoot!" Sasuke's command pierces the room like thunder.

Itachi nods at his brother. Clearly, the other man knew exactly what he was thinking because while the others were shooting towards the top and keeping Kabuto distracted with dodging, the elder Uchiha Brother makes a made dash towards the elevator.

"You are all idiots!" Kabuto snarls at them. "You all could have walked out of this alive!" His glare was especially venomous at Sasuke. "You would have been rich as well, but you just had to be stupid!" He keeps firing shots at them.

It was the ultimate game of dodge ball, really. The only difference Suigetsu thinks to himself was that this time they were playing with bullets instead of balls. That was just fine by him.

This asshole had just shot Jugo and as more bullets rained down on them, it was likely someone else was going to get shot as well. In fact, he grunts in agony as one grazes his leg.

"You're the idiot!" He'd had enough of this prick! "You actually kidnapped someone for that damn snake! If you make it out of this alive, you're going to be in prison for the rest of your life!"

He fires shot after shot at Kabuto. He wasn't the only one though. Kabuto had a better position, but he also had a lot less bullets. If they could make him empty his clip, that would be the end of him.

He glances towards the elevator. All they had to do was give Itachi an opening.

"TAKE THIS!" Naruto growls as he fires off a shot that somehow manages to hit Kabuto in his shoulder.

Sasuke smirks at that. "Nice shot!" Was it wrong that he found Naruto shooting that prick to be kinda hot?

* * *

That's when he hears the sound of another car pulling up and Sasuke blinks. Had the police been attracted by the sounds of the shooting? A moment later, he got his answer as his slowly slink in.

Fugaku makes eye contact and makes a shushing motion as they both slowly make their way over to the others. "I take it that Four Eyes is the bad guy?" To which Sasuke could only nod dumbly.

"Where's Itachi?" Mikoto looks around in terror.

Sasuke shakes his head. "He went in the elevator. We're keeping Kabuto distracted to give him a shot." Well that was all that his mother needed to hear before going completely Kamikaze and racing off to the elevator!

"Damn that crazy woman!" Fugaku bellows.

* * *

It was too late though. Itachi had already made his way to the top floor and was just looking for a good opening (or preferably for Kabuto run out of bullets).

That was until a few moments later, when he saw his mother of all people had just gotten out of the elevator! What the Hell?!

"What are you doing here?!" The words flew out of his mouth before he even knew what was going on.

Kabuto smirks as he rears around. "Dying with you it seems!" He turns his fire towards them.

A bullet was aimed at Mikoto's heart, but Itachi shoves her down and takes it on the back. "AHHH!" The agony of which made him almost want to pass out, but luckily his mother had the presence of mind to wiggle out from underneath him as Kabuto was advancing.

As he was going to fire off another shot, Mikoto sweeps his leg out from underneath him. "Don't touch my son!" It was a rather impressive display of flexibility, Itachi slowly edges onto his side as he grabs his firearm and fires it into Kabuto's stomach.

"YOU BITCH!" Whatever else Kabuto had been about to say, well it fell on death ears as the force of the bullets was enough to make him stagger back and Mikoto pushes him the rest of the way over the railing.

"He really should learn to watch his language." Itachi shakes his head as Kabuto's body lands on the floor with a sickening smack!

Kisame blinks and looks at Sasuke. "Women are crazy, I tell you." To which Sasuke just nods in shock.

Fugaku shakes his head. He loved his wife, but the woman was quite the psychotic tigress when it came to protecting her cubs to speak. She could have gotten killed.

After this was all over, he was going to give her quite the sound spanking. "We need to get to the hospital. Once everyone is in treatment, we'll call the police." He looks at Kabuto's crushed corpse. "He's not going anywhere."

Naruto looked like he was thinking about spitting at Kabuto's body as Mikoto and Itachi walk back into the elevator and come back down. "Wouldn't it be better to hide his body?" Well that was a logical question and it was certainly tempting, but no.

"We need to prove it was self-defense and that Orochimaru sent him after you. Once that happens, Orochimaru will be locked behind bars." Fugaku shakes his head and sighs. "If we just hide his body, then that Bastard is free to do whatever he likes he and might be foolish enough to attempt something like this again."

* * *

There were a lot of frowns at that, but soon enough many nods followed. Before Fugaku really knew what was happening, everyone was at the hospital and he watches as the strange blue skinned man takes out a phone and calls the police.

"Hello, I would like to report a kidnapping. The victim is currently being treated in the hospital as are several of his rescuers." Who knew that such a feral looking man could sound so professional? "Unfortunately, the man was firing at a woman and her son and they had to act in self-defense. His body is currently at the abandoned warehouse."

Well he supposed that would teach him to judge a book by its cover. Then again, this was one of the Akatsuki. Kisame wouldn't be one of them, if he was incapable of being professional.

"We also have footage of the incident." Sasori looks at Fugaku. "I didn't have a gun on me, so I used my cell phone." Right.

It seemed that the loud blonde known as Deidara was the most likely Akatsuki Member to be packing heat. So that made sense.

He nods at him gratefully. "Thank you." And then turns his head to Kisame. "Did you get that?"

"Got it!" Kisame gives him a thumbs up. "We also captured the incident on cell phone. So we have visual proof to back up our story." Which was important. Though they greatly outnumbered Orochimaru and Kabuto, it was always better to have it on film than not. After all, they were definitely going to take those freaks to court!

Kisame hangs up and smiles at those not being treated for injuries. "The police are on their way now." He smirks at them. "We're going to nail these sons of a bitches!" And in Fugaku's mind, truer words had never been spoken because no one, messed with his family.


	20. Chapter 20

Something About Country Boys

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. Just as a heads up, if you have no interest in court cases, you might want to skip this chapter and go straight to the epilogue when it is posted. With that in mind, happy ready to anyone who chooses to read this "Courtroom Chapter."

 **Chapter Notation:** This chapter takes place three months after the last one. Oh and I know that Sasuke being their lawyer may not be very realistic and I'm not entirely sure that it would be allowed, but I feel like it makes a more compelling chapter. So yeah.

Chapter 20

 _Forever._ It felt like it had taken forever for this day to arrive, but Sasuke knew the law well enough to know that they were lucky. The trial had been arranged rather quickly and today was the day that he would see Orochimaru locked up behind bars for the rest of his miserable existence.

"I must say that this is a rather unusual case." Ibiki blinks as he looks down at the files. "Rarely, do we have people claiming that they were mounting a rescue mission for a kidnapping victim and that they killed the kidnapper in self-defense, especially when there were so many more rescuers than kidnappers."

Yes, Sasuke was well aware that angle did look bad. They had severely outnumbered Kabuto. Lethal force probably hadn't been _strictly_ necessary, but after the Jury watched that tape he was confident that they would end up ruling in their favor. After all, it had obviously been self-defense.

He nods to the Judge. "I know that it's unusual Your Honor, but on behalf of myself and those who were there that day, I swear to you that it is the truth." He glares at Orochimaru. "This man ordered Kabuto to kidnap Naruto Uzumaki with the intention of blackmailing myself and my brother into selling him our business."

Ibiki raises an eyebrow at that. "I thought that you were a lawyer?" Sasuke was, his law license was still active though seeing as he had only recently obtained it in the first place!

He just never expected his first case to be so personal, let alone to involve kidnapping and someone dying. His father probably would have had Sasuke work his way up to something like this, had everything gone according to plan. Unfortunately or fortunately, things hadn't gone to plan. At all!

"I am a lawyer." Sasuke nods at him. "It's just that Itachi and I inherited our Great Uncle's business at the time of his death and Orochimaru has been obsessed with buying it from us ever since." Obsessed almost seemed like too mild of a term to describe Orochimaru's fixation on Mangekyo Wines, but Sasuke had no other word for it.

"Objection!" Danzo's voice rings throughout the courtroom. "Tossing accusations about my client's character like that is highly improper!"

Sasuke glances at Naruto, hoping that his lover would stay silence for that. He had never expected to be arguing about a case this important right out of the gate, but to make matters even worse he was arguing against Danzo. One of the best lawyers in the country.

Ibiki shakes his head. "Overruled. Continue, Mr. Uchiha." It took all his self-control not to smirk at that. That was a good sign.

"Thank you, Your Honor." It was also a miracle that all of the Akatsuki, Naruto, and his family were staying quiet. "Orochimaru propositioned us with a business offer almost immediately after Madara died. We were repulsed and told him know. The man kept going though." Sasuke shakes his head. "We never expected that he would go so far as to hire a kidnapper though."

Ibiki nods and glances at Danzo. "You may present your Opening Arguments." To which the elderly man nods and proceeds to do exactly that.

"Your Honor, my client is a highly respected member of this community and has been a successful businessman for decades." Uh huh. "It is only natural that he would want to purchase another successful business while he was employed by the Akatsuki."

That was a fair point. Sasuke had to concede that, but rest of Orochimaru's behavior had been utterly psychotic. Psychotic enough that even the Akatsuki had been forced to kick him out.

"Does the defendant wish to plead that he's innocent and that he in fact, did not instruct Kabuto to abduct Mr. Naruto Uzumaki?" Ibiki gazes at Danzo harshly.

Danzo shakes his head. "Not exactly, Your Honor. He wishes to plead insanity." He sighs heavily. "After being such a loyal employee of the Akatsuki for so many years, the fact that they discharged him was more than he could handle. His actions were excessive, but I do not believe that he ever intended for Kabuto to physically harm Mr. Uzumaki."

Well that was certainly interesting, Sasuke thinks to himself. It was really their best shot though. The had their family, Gaara, Naruto, and the Akatsuki on their side. It was Orochimaru's word against all of theirs and they had Kabuto on video tape. The odds weren't in the snake's favor.

"The fact that he ordered the kidnapping, but didn't intend for physical harm to come to Mr. Uzumaki may lessen his sentence, but that is not enough to let him go unpunished." Ibiki watches Danzo. "You will have to present quite the compelling case for insanity. The man as you say is a well-respected member of the community and has no prior history of mentally illness."

Sasuke smirks at that. Which was a bad sign for anyone trying to plead insanity. Of course, insanity pleas failed more often than not. That was why they were considered something of a last resort.

* * *

The case was taking forever, Naruto thinks to himself as they finally adjourn for lunch a few hours later. He had no idea why Sasuke had actually wanted to do any of this for a career. It was exhausting!

"You did very well." Mikoto smiles at Sasuke as they all sit down together in the cafeteria.

Kisame grins at him. "Takes balls to argue against someone like Shimura." He shakes his head. "I've never liked the Bastard, but he knows his shit backwards and forwards."

Gaara shakes his head at the other man's crass description. Though Naruto knew that was pretty damn hypocritical of his friend. The red head had a mouth that could make a sailor blush, when he was in the mood.

"Well I think it's going well!" Deidara beams. "Yeah?!"

Konan shakes her head and sighs. "It's hard to tell until the jury decides, but I would say the odds are definitely in our favor." She was one of the more normal members of the Akatsuki, Naruto supposed.

Why she was married to the metal mouth who called himself Pain was beyond him, really. Maybe, she was just into that sort of thing though.

Itachi shakes his head and sighs. "Normally, I would say that it would be suicide to put someone on their first case up against Danzo." He smiles and pokes Sasuke's forehead. "Though I'm sure that you can handle it. You may be foolish, but you're also an Uchiha."

His lover's family had a dynamic going on. Naruto still didn't get the whole forehead poking thing, but whatever!

"Thanks, Itachi." Sasuke rolls his eyes and rubs the spot where he had been poked. "I appreciate it." To which their parents just chuckle.

Naruto shakes his head as he bites into his food and notices Gaara's eyes darting around the room. The red head was on edge, but for good reason. Today was the big day and they could all feel it.

* * *

After lunch, Gaara watches warily as Sasuke continues to face off against Danzo. He doubted anyone else could have given Orochimaru even a small chance of getting off, but this was Danzo. From what he had heard about the man, he almost never lost.

"Your witness." Ibiki nods at the elderly lawyer as Konan takes the stand.

Danzo nods as he walks over to it. "Is it true that you worked with Orochimaru for many years?" Obviously, the prick was taking this slow.

"Yes." Konan nods at him.

Hopefully, the blue haired woman wouldn't fall for it though. Gaara could see exactly what he was doing and he didn't need a law degree to do so. He was trying to lull Konan into a false sense of security.

Danzo smiles. "And in those years, how would you describe your relationship with Orochimaru?" That one prompts Konan to raise an eyebrow.

"Cordial enough." She shrugs. "We worked together frequently, but we never socialized outside of a business setting."

Shrugging might be a bad idea, Gaara observes. Any sort of movement might be enough for Danzo to go in for the kill. This man was a shark.

"If it was cordial enough, why did you agree to have him fired and do you not believe that he felt hurt when that happened?" Oh yes, he was circling the waters now. "That he might have snapped after being betrayed by the people he had thought were his friends for years?!"

It was a damn good thing that the judge stepped in and Sasuke was given his tun. Gaara wasn't entirely certain he could bare to watch much more of that. Sheesh!

"You weren't there on the night of the shootout, right?" Sasuke approaches her.

Konan nods. "Correct." Alright, it was looking normal so far.

Apparently, Sasuke was better at keeping his composure in situations like these than Gaara was. Thank goodness!

"Have you seen the footage of the shootout?" Sasuke presses on.

To her credit, Konan was a pretty cool customer herself. "Yes. It's my belief that Kabuto kidnapped Naruto and his friends, including yourself, staged a rescue mission while Deidara, Kisame, and Sasori decided to assist." She shakes her head. "The man was shooting at people. It was self-defense!"

The trial went on and on in Itachi's mind. Of course, he had grown up in a family filled with lawyers and businesspeople. So he knew that this wasn't an unusual occurrence, especially in a situation like this.

* * *

By the time the jurors were deliberating, everyone was on edge and Naruto was sneakily texting his parents. Which was probably against the courtroom's rules, but the blonde could be subtle when he wanted to be. (It was just that he rarely chose to demonstrate that trait).

"How are they taking it?" Itachi glances at Naruto.

His brother had come over to sit by the man and it didn't escape the elder Uchiha's notice that Sasuke's hand was now resting on his boyfriend's shoulder. This was rough on all of them, but for Naruto in particular this had to be torture. He was the one who was kidnapped.

This case hit closer to him for him than it did for perhaps any of the others. Which was certainly saying something because in one way or another, Orochimaru's and Kabuto's actions had impacted all of them.

Naruto sighs and shakes his head. "Not great." Itachi nods in understanding. "Dad wouldn't even let mom in the courtroom."

That only made sense. From what Itachi had gathered thus far Kushina Uzumaki had one Hell of a temper. If he thought that Gaara was a feisty red head, he was a cute, cuddly kitten compared to that tigress.

"Which is a relief." Sasuke sighs as he kisses Naruto's cheek. "We don't need your mother lunging at Orochimaru during the proceedings." No. They most certainly did not!

While that would be highly satisfying to watch, it would also really fuck up their odds of winning this case. A case that they very much needed to win because if they didn't, they might actually be on trial instead of Orochimaru! Obviously, that simply wouldn't do!

"It would be funny as Hell though." Hidan laughs.

Itachi narrows his eyes at the crass Akatsuki Member. His comments were definitely not helping. That and the economist was rather tempted to wash out the man's mouth with soap!

Naruto groans and shakes his head. "Please don't give my mother any ideas." Exactly, because that would not end well.

* * *

Finally, the Jury was ready to present their verdict and Naruto was doing his best not to flip out. This was the moment of truth. Was Orochimaru actually going to get away with all this?

"Thank you." Ibiki nods at the Jury. "I believe you've reached a decision? How do you find the defendant?"

Damn. This guy sure didn't like to waste time, Naruto thought to himself. Of course, the Judge was only human though. Ibiki probably wanted to get out of there as badly as they did at this point!

"We have your honor." A woman named Anko hands him a sheet of paper.

He nods at her and reads it out loud. "The Jury finds Orochimaru guilty of ordering a kidnapping." He pauses. "Very well then, for your sentencing shall receive no less th-"

Ibiki never got to finish his sentence though because Orochimaru lunges at the Uchiha Brothers in a rage. "YOU DAMN BRATS!" He was disturbingly fast for an old man.

Not nearly fast enough though because Naruto and Gaara immediately slam him away from their lovers and onto the ground. "I was going to give him a somewhat light sentence in light of the fact that Orochimaru didn't intend for violence to break out." Ibiki shakes his head. "I obviously can't do that now."

"Damn straight you can't!" Kakuzu's voice rings out. "He just tried to assault two people in the courtroom!"

Naruto was mentally cheering in agreement with one of the quieter Akatsuki Members, but he also knew it was probably a bad idea to butt into a sentencing. That didn't look good or whatever!

"Exactly, my point." Ibiki shakes his head as he calls security over. "Take him away and Orochimaru I am sentencing you to fifteen years in prison for not only ordering a kidnapping, but also for two attempts of assault in my courtroom with no chance of parole!" Naruto beams at that!

There were some rather unprofessional cheers from the Akatsuki, Sasuke's family, Naruto, and Gaara upon hearing that. Needless to say, Ibiki was not pleased, but who cared?! They had won!

* * *

A few hours later, Kushina was trying her best not to bristle. She couldn't believe that her baby hadn't even allowed her in the court room! Though the sight of Orochimaru being drug off in handcuffs on tv had soothed the worst of her fury.

"This is a wonderful dinner." Minato smiles at the Uchihas.

Well yes, the food was excellent. Kushina had to say that much. As someone who liked to cook herself, she knew that a lot of effort had gone into this feast to prepare it so quickly. And what a feast it was.

It had to be. The Akatsuki, Uzumakais, Uchihas, and Gaara were all there. A lot of food was necessary to feed everyone.

Mikoto nods at him. "Thank you." She smiles as well. "We truly have a lot to celebrate tonight."

"Yeah!" Deidara grins as he chugs some wine. "Oh do you have anything stronger than this? We should celebrate in style!"

Sasori sighs and smacks the blonde upside the head for that. The last thing he wanted to deal with was a drunk Deidara, it seemed. If Deidara got intoxicated, Kushina suspected that the city wouldn't be standing by the end of the night.

"Stop being an idiot." Thankfully, Sasori was definitely being firm with the bombshell of a blonde!

Deidara whines at being hit. "You're so mean to me! You should be nicer." There was quite a bit of grumbling. "Yeah?!"

"I still can't believe that you didn't tell us what was going on!" She glares at Naruto.

Naruto rubs the back of his head sheepishly. "Well we didn't want you to worry." Oh boy. This had been going on months, Sasuke observes with some amusement and horror.

The woman just wouldn't let it go. In Kushina's defense though, her son was rather lucky to be alive. Clearly, Kabuto had been psychotic.

"Give the guy a break!" Kisame grins at her. "He's fine now and Orochimaru is heading straight to prison. There's nothing to worry about!"

That was the _**wrong**_ thing to say! Kushina turns her attention away from Naruto in favor of glaring at Kisame. Suddenly, the shark-like man didn't seem nearly as cocky because her glare was terrifying.

"Surrender peacefully." Gaara shakes his head in amusement. "This is battle that you have no hope of winning."

That was apparently damn straight. Sasuke loved Naruto with all his heart, but his mom could be really, really scary sometimes. Which was saying something because his own mother had been willing to go all Kamikaze on Kabuto!

"What?! Kisame blusters. "I never surrender!"

Yeah. This guy kinda deserved the beating he was about to get. Even Pain was looking at him like he was insane. (Honestly, that was the height of irony though because Nagato clearly had some kind of God Complex that should be treated by some mental health professionals)!

It was at that moment, that Kushina literally drags the man outside by the ear and Sasuke winces. Oh yeah. Kisame was going to be blue AND black by the time the fiery red head was done with him.

* * *

"Naruto, your mother scares me sometimes." Itachi shakes his head and Sasuke nods his head in agreement.

Minato just laughs at that. Yes, his wife could be rather fiery, but she had a good heart and that's what mattered most. It was just that she got carried away sometimes.

Of course, he would draw the line at the woman doing any permanent damage to Kisame. The man had only been teasing her after all. There was no reason for him to end up in the Emergency Room!

"I'm sure she'll settle down once she has something cute to distract her." Pain chuckles.

Minato beams at him. "Well she already has me." Though to be fair, sometimes even he wasn't enough to settle the whirlwind that was his wife down!

Konan laughs softly at that. "Well you are cute." Suddenly, Minato feels as though waves of homicidal intent were being directed at him by a twitching Pain. "But I think that he was referring to grandchildren more than you."

Well that caught Mikoto's attention. "Yes, grandchildren would be lovely!" She smiles. "It doesn't matter if they're adopted or if you choose surrogacy!" Oh boy. "We'll all love them just the same." Those poor boys.

They were now going to get caught up in the grandchildren plotting. Minato suddenly did not envy his son, Naruto's best friend, or the Uchiha Brothers. This might not end well.

Gaara suddenly looks a little uncomfortable at that. "We should probably be heading home." He was such a smart boy. Obviously, the red head knew when to cut his losses and to 'Get out of Dodge' so to speak!

"Yeah!" Sasuke nods as he gets up and briefly hugs his parents. "Traffic can be murder and it's a fairly long drive back to the country!"

Naruto nods in agreement. "Definitely." He grins at Sasuke. "Besides, we've still gotta teach you how to ride Kurama…unless you've chickened out!"

To which Itachi chuckles. It seemed that Naruto really didn't know when to quit. Saying that to Sasuke was akin to waving a red flag in front of a bull. It was really just asking for trouble. (Was the blonde secretly some kind of masochist, he wonders to himself).

"Pft." Sasuke rolls his eyes. "You're such a loser." He drags Naruto through the door. "I am so not chickening out! An Uchiha never quits!"

Itachi laughs softly at that in agreement as he drags his red head behind him and follows the other couple outside. "That's right." He smiles at Sasuke who was now opening the car door. "An Uchiha never quits!"

* * *

As they were getting into the car, Itachi notices a rather traumatized looking Kisame. That poor son of a bitch, really should have known better than to provoke a red head. Very few people could get away with doing something like that (and he was one of them)!

"Hey!" The others were all running outside now. "Where are you going?!" Mikoto and Kushina shouting (well sulking) the loudest!

"We told you, Mother." Sasuke buckles his seatbelt as the others do the same. "We're heading home. We to hurry, if we're going to beat traffic!"

That answer apparently wasn't very satisfying to each of the mothers, but they sigh and nod. "Alright, but you know we're going to discuss the topic of grandchildren later!" To which every single man in the car squirms.

"Yes, Mother." Itachi sighs as they quickly speed off.

Naruto shakes his head at that. "That was a close one." Itachi nods in agreement.

There was nothing scarier than a woman who wanted grandchildren. Itachi would much rather face off against an armed Kabuto again. Women could be absolutely insane sometimes, especially mothers!

"Well at least now, we'll be able to tell Jugo and Suigetsu how the trial went." Gaara smiles at that thought.

Sasuke shakes his head. "They probably watched it on tv, but that's true." He then smirks at Naruto. "And tomorrow, I'm riding Kurama!" That wild horse didn't intimidate him anymore (or so Sasuke claimed).

Itachi would believe that his foolish little brother was going to ride Kurama when he saw it. The horse was practically demonic and the only one that he had seen ride it was Naruto. (Though apparently, Madara had actually managed it as well).

"I'd like to see you try." Itachi chuckles.

Sasuke rolls his eyes at his brother. "There is no trying." He smirks at Itachi. "There is only succeeding and as you said, an Uchiha never quits!"


	21. Chapter 21

Something About Country Boys

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. I hope that you all enjoy the grand finale of _**Something About Country Boys**_ and if you're interested, please feel free to check out my other stories.

 **Chapter Notation:** Five years have passed since the last chapter. Warning there is a lot of fluff and silliness in this chapter. There is also a very special set of cameos from the afterlife. This was done for the sake of comedy. It is not intended to be an endorsement or dismissal of anyone's religious views or the lack of them. Happy reading!

Chapter 21

"Daddy is riding really fast!" An adorable girl with raven black hair giggles as Sasuke leads Kurama around at a gallop.

Naruto couldn't help, but chuckle at the scene. "Yes, he is." Sasuke looked so damn smug and well Kitasha seemed to be having a grand time watching her Daddy ride the proud stallion.

They had been married for four years now and their daughter was three. They hadn't waited very long to walk down the aisle or to start a family. While Kitasha was Sasuke's biological daughter, she was Naruto's daughter as well.

They had to use a surrogate. So only one of them could be the donor and thus the biological father, but that hadn't really mattered to the blonde all that much. Kitasha was his daughter and that was all there was to it. (Besides, they were thinking about trying again and this time Naruto would be the donor).

"I told you that I could do it." Sasuke smirks at Naruto.

Damn that sexy smirk. It really made him want to tear the other man's clothes off and have Sasuke ride something that wasn't Kurama. Though he had to wait until later tonight.

They had a daughter now. Sexy Fun Times had to be managed very carefully. He really did not want to have to explain the 'Birds and the Bees' to their sweet angel this early on.

Naruto just laughs though. "Yeah. Yeah." He couldn't help, but grin at his husband. "It sure took you long enough though!" It had taken well over a year before Kurama had let Sasuke ride him.

The blonde was pretty sure he knew how his 'Sexy Bastard' had finally won over the proud stallion. Mostly by bribing him with treats and looking like Madara, Naruto suspected. Though it probably helped that Sasuke was his 'mate." So the fact that the other man probably smelled like him likely calmed Kurama down to a certain extent.

"Whatever." Sasuke rolls his eyes. "Better late than never." To which Kurama neighs, seemingly in amusement.

Honestly, Naruto was pretty sure that it was just in amusement though. Horses were smart creatures to begin with, but Kurama was definitely in a league of his own!

"Uncle Jugo! Uncle Suigetsu!" Kitasha giggles as she races over to the two men who had just walked out of the brewery.

Suigetsu laughs and scoops her up. "Hey, Batty." Naruto didn't miss Sasuke rolling his eyes once again at that nickname.

"Seriously, Batty?" His husband had always been less than amused at the nickname for his daughter. "That's what you call your boss's daughter?"

Jugo laughs and shakes his head. "Well she's little, has dark hair, and she jumps so high it's almost like she can fly. So she's like a bat." He smiles at Sasuke. "A really cute bat though."

That was a nice save, Naruto thinks to himself. God help anyone who insulted their daughter. She was not only the most adorable kid that Naruto had ever seen, she also had two overprotective fathers, an army of Akatsuki Uncles (and one Akatsuki Aunt), feisty grandparents, and a cousin who would do anything for her.

"Of course, she is." Sasuke smiles smugly at that thought.

Jugo and Suigetsu were still working at the brewery and Mangekyo Wines respectively. They were also now engaged and still going strong. Talk about opposites attracting, Naruto thinks to himself.

"Oh speaking of cute things, I guess Itachi and Gaara are going to be over in a few minutes." Suigetsu shows them the text. "They got caught up in traffic."

Naruto nods at that. "Yeah. Traffic can be murder." This was especially the case when you were driving with a three and a half year old boy in the backseat.

Ryo was very cute, but he was a very energetic red head. He was Gaara's and Itachi's son. Obviously, Gaara must have been the donor for him to have those crimson red locks, but the boy did have smoky eyes like Itachi. Those two must have done what he and Sasuke did.

They found a surrogate who looked at least a little like the other father. Kitasha had blue eyes like Naruto, even if she otherwise looked like a mini girl Sasuke. While Ryo looked enough like both of his fathers, that it was hard to believe they weren't both the biological father.

The kid had his red hair styled like Itachi and like Naruto had said, the same color eyes. He also surprisingly had a nose that was nearly identical to the elder Uchiha Brother, but otherwise when it came to looks…he definitely took after Gaara.

"Tell me about it." Jugo nods in agreement. "Oh and I figure that we should probably check on Orochimaru to make sure that they're keeping their word about him not getting paroled."

Yeah. "That's a good idea." Naruto nods in agreement because the last thing he wanted to find out was that freak somehow managed to slither his way out of prison early!

* * *

"You're impossible." Orochimaru glares at them.

He couldn't believe this. They still visited him once a year, just to taunt him. It was unbelievable!

Kushina smirks at him. "You're lucky that you're behind bars." That damn bitch! "Because I would have done far worse than you!"

Minato shakes his head. Orochimaru was quite certain that the man thought his wife was more than a little crazy, but he was too fond of his own life to protest much. Which meant he tolerated her temper.

"Spare me the idle threats!" His voice was coming out as a hiss and he knew it, but Orochimaru couldn't help it.

Oh how he hated these parents! They were even _**worse**_ than their children!

"You know, your really shouldn't threaten the prisoner." Fugaku sighs.

Damn straight they shouldn't threaten him! What was wrong with these people?! Did they not have the slightest idea that they could get caught?!

"I know that we shouldn't." Mikoto sighs as she kisses her husband's cheek. "But it's so much fun and the snake does deserve it."

Kushina nods her head eagerly at that. "Besides, who is really going to take his word for it over ours." Damn them!

Damn them all to Hell! For five years, he had been in this miserable prison. For five years, he had endured their taunts and for five years, he had to watch as the Akatsuki and Mangekyo Wines continued to thrive.

To make matters worse, Mangekyo Wines had now entered into some sort of partnership with the Akatsuki. They maintained their independence, but they were now selling wines to the Akatsuki at a discounted price! This was ridiculous!

"Well, I suppose that's enough of that." Minato smiles as he turns on the tv. "How about we all relax and watch the news." And of course, the sadistic blonde had to turn it to the Business Channel!

* * *

A short while later, Gaara smiles as he, Itachi, and Ryo make their way back to Mangekyo Wines. Ryo was rather eager to play with his cousin and well, the red head was happy to finally be out of traffic.

"It's sweet how he runs straight to her." Itachi chuckles as he watches the boy do exactly that.

Gaara couldn't help, but nod. Ryo might only be three, but his personality was already manifesting itself. If he wanted something, he was going to go for it. The boy was absolutely fearless. That much was obvious.

So was Kitasha. "Ryo!" She giggles as she rushes over and hugs her cousin tightly.

It was so adorable that Gaara couldn't blame Itachi for immediately taking out the camera. Things like this were just meant to be captured on film! Thank goodness for cell phones.

"Glad you guys could make it." Naruto laughs. "What'd you get stuck behind some grandma or grandpa?"

Itachi shakes his head. "No worse." He smiles and snaps a few more pictures. "We got stuck in rush hour."

Suigetsu nods at that. "Yeah. Rush hour is such a bitch." He chuckles though immediately was besieged by four angry parental glares.

"You said a bad word!" Kitasha's and Ryo's voices ring out in perfect unison.

Honestly, there were times when Gaara thought they acted more like twins than cousins, but that was something he was happy about. It was cute and it was good to see them developing bonds so early on. Bonds with other children their own age. It was healthy.

Itachi swats Suigetsu upside the head for his language. "Watch your language when there are children present!" He shakes his head.

"Can I see the pony?!" Ryo suddenly looks up at Naruto hopefully.

Naruto laughs and nods. "Yeah. You can see the pony." That seemed to be all the prompting that Kitasha needed because she grabs her cousin by the arm and drags him towards the stables with the adults in hot pursuit.

* * *

Mikoto smiles as Orochimaru watches the Business Channel with horror. It was fun to tease the psychopath.

 _ **"Yes, we're very happy about our partnerships with Mangekyo Wines and Uzumaki Breweries." Pain smiles at the reporter. "We've also in talks with Gaara Sabaku about a partnership with him in regards to his horse ranch, but we haven't decided what form that will take yet."**_

Orochimaru glares at all of them hatefully. "Turn the damn thing off." To which they all just shake their heads.

 _ **A beautiful bluenette nods in agreement. "The partnership has been enormously profitable." She smiles. "And if nothing else, I'm quite certain Seiko will enjoy riding the horses."**_

"Never." Kushina rolls her eyes at him. "You kidnapped my son. You're lucky that this is all we're doing to you!"

 _ **"Ponies are fun!" Deidara laughs madly. "Yeah?!" Prompting Sasori to shake his head in desperation at the blonde's antics.  
**_

 _ **Kisame smirks and smiles. "The brat is pretty cute. He also likes the new martial arts studio that we've started up." He looks at the camera, the picture of excitement. "We're calling it the Samehada!"**_

It didn't escape Mikoto's notice that Minato was chuckling at that. She could see why. It was rather amusing to see the shark-like man so gleeful about something.

 _ **The reporter nods at them. It was almost as if she couldn't really believe her luck. For a moment, it seemed as though she was going to get tongue-tied, but she gets over it quickly enough.**_

 _ **"That sounds rather exciting." She smiles at them. "How is little Seiko doing by the way?"**_

 _ **Hidan snorts. "Don't get them started on that damn brat!" His comment earns him two very angry parental glares, but he keeps going. "They'll never shut up about him, if you let them get started!"**_

Seiko was Konan's and Pain's adorable four year old boy. He had blue hair like his mother and lavender eyes like his father. Mikoto thought her grandchildren were the cutest in the entire world, but Seiko was also pretty damn adorable!

 _ **The reporter laughs and wisely gets between them. She obviously sensed what was going on and wanted to avoid a bloodbath.**_

 _ **"Hidan, do you have a death wish?" Kazuku shakes his head.**_

 _ **Zetsu nods. "I have to agree, you're really pushing your luck!" The man who still resembled a plant in Mikoto's mind was apparently trying to save Hidan's life.**_

Fugaku shakes his head at all that and well, Mikoto was in agreement. The Akatsuki were certainly a rather interesting lot to say the least!

"Shut that damn thing!" Orochimaru glares at the screen.

Mikoto smiles and hands Fugaku something. "Well I think that's enough torturing him for today." She beams at him. "We should go home. I want to see if they fit you properly."

He looks at her in confusion. "If what fits properly?" That's when he looks down and sees a pair of blue jeans in her hands.

Kushina laughs and hands Minato a pair as well. She and her friend had planned this. Itachi and Sasuke certainly had a point about a nice pair of jeans on a cute butt!

"…" Fugaku was left momentarily speechless.

Minato shakes his head in amusement. "Best to humor them." He smiles and kisses his wife's cheek. " Thank you."

Fugaku nods dumbly and Mikoto smiles as she drags her husband off. Kushina doing likewise. She was sure that the businessman was going to look great in his new outfit!

* * *

Itachi laughs softly as he watches Ryo and Kitasha fawn over Shukaku. "Pretty!" Ryo smiles as he pets the foal.

The foal was black and white. Which wasn't really that surprising. Kurama was a black stallion and Shukaku's mother was a white mere. He was a handsome little thing though and very lively.

"I guess every kid has always wanted a pony." Suigetsu snickers.

Sasuke nods in agreement as he shows Ryo how to brush the baby horse's mane properly. "Gently." After all, the last thing any of them needed obviously was for the foal to get spooked because his hair was tugged on too hard, Itachi observes.

Kitasha nods and smiles as she feeds the horse an apple and giggles. She had such a cute giggle. She was just like Sasuke at that age. Though she was just as hyper as Naruto. (A very dangerous combination, really.)

"Do you think our parents are still taunting Orochimaru?" Naruto grins at them.

Jugo shakes his head. Probably because the answer was rather obvious. Woe to anyone foolish enough to go after any children of Kushina Uzumaki and Mikoto Uchiha. (And if anything, their fathers were worse in some ways).

"Not really, but he does have it coming." Itachi chuckles at the thought. "The man did put Kabuto up to kidnapping Naruto and goodness only knows what other schemes had carried over the years." As far as Itachi was concerned, they hadn't done anything wrong.

Sasuke smirks at the thought. "Well he's going to be either dead of old age or a very old man when he gets out." That was true. "So I doubt he'll be causing many problems in either case."

It might be cold to say, but Itachi couldn't exactly disagree with that. He probably should feel guilty, but he didn't. Honestly, the world would be better off without him.

"Well this got dark pretty fast." Suigetsu rubs the back of his head sheepishly. "You guys wanna go swimming?"

Those were the magic words, Itachi laughs softly. "Yeah!" Their enchantment over poor Shukaku was temporarily and instantly forgotten as they started jumping up and down in excitement at the prospect of swimming.

"Well that answers that question." Gaara smirks as he lifts up Ryo onto his shoulder so that the boy could ride on his back piggyback style. "Lets head to the pool then." Before carrying him off.

Naruto does the same to Kitasha, who squeals in delight as the Uchiha brothers follow them. It was a good thing they had a pool. Otherwise, that they'd probably have to fight through more traffic to get the beach or the local swimming pool at the park!

* * *

"I can't believe you planned this." Izuna shakes his head from his position on a cloud.

Madara just smirks at him. Of course, he planned this. It was such a pity that his matchmaking had to wait until after his death. Oh well. It had worked out beautifully (as he knew it would)!

He chuckles at his brother's exasperation. "You can't argue with the results." The former owner of Mangekyo Wines couldn't help, but feel more than a little smug at being proven right.

After all, who didn't enjoy being proven right? It was just a natural human instinct to bask in such an occurrence. So yeah. He was going to bask for awhile and enjoy taunting his foolish little brother a bit!

"No. I can not." Izuna sighs and looks at Madara warily. "How did you know that this would work though? They hadn't met before. You were making quite a lot of assumptions."

Madara smiles wickedly at that. "Mostly intuition and the fact that opposites attract." Gut feelings sometimes couldn't be fully explained, but it was important to follow your instincts.

Instincts were there for a reason. Hadn't this entire situation proven that? Though Madara would have been happier if Orochimaru and Kabuto hadn't pulled their psychotic little stunt, of course. Everything else so far was working out beautifully.

"Uh huh." Izuna shakes his head and hugs his brother. "I love you, but you are such a crazy Bastard at times!"

Madara laughs wildly and returns the embrace. "I love you too, but you're way too serious!" He smirks at him and tosses a cloudball at him. "Lighten up." Which up here was probably the closest thing to a snowball they were going to find!

Izuna raises an eyebrow. "Well if you insist!" He swiftly grabs a piece of the cloud they were on for himself and hurls it at Madara.

Ah ha! He had a challenger. Well Madara would show him who was boss. There was a reason why he was undefeated at this game! Madara Uchiha never lost! Not even death could knock him down for long! 'Believe it' as Naruto would say!

* * *

Sasuke smiles as he watches the kids splash around in the pool. Naruto and surprisingly Gaara had joined in on the splash fight. It was quite the intense battle to say the least, but Itachi seemed content to watch with him.

"They're too adorable." Itachi laughs.

Sasuke nods in agreement. That was really the only way to describe the sight of his bubbly blonde playing with their daughter and nephew while Gaara joined in with them.

The younger Uchiha Brother smiles at that thought. "Yes, they are." Because well it was true. "So it looks like the Akatsuki Partnership is really taking off."

Itachi's eyes were still trained on the children and their other fathers as he nods at Sasuke. "That's true." He smiles. "I'm an economist and even I couldn't have predicted such a revenue boost. I do hope it continues."

Yeah that would be nice. Though they were all set for life, anyway. Ryo and Kitasha were certainly going to have large inheritances one day. Which was good because Sasuke didn't want either of them to worry about anything.

Speaking of that though, in about at decade he expected the local boys would start to become highly annoying. There would be far too many frogs and princes attempting to win over his princess!

"Me too." Sasuke nods.

Hopefully, their next child would be a boy. Maybe, he'd be able to help Sasuke and Naruto scare away the unworthy suitors that were bound to be coming!

He liked the idea of two princesses, of course. Though Sasuke was realistic enough to know when they became teenagers, that was going to be very, very bad for his stress levels.

"Damn. That's one Hell of a cannonball!" Suigetsu snickers as Ryo jumps and makes a big splash.

Of course, there was a possibility that Ryo would help them as well. He seemed protective enough of his cousin and they certainly got along well.

"Big splash!" Kitasha giggles.

She had such a sweet laugh. It was really music to his ears and watching her eyes sparkle like that was mesmerizing. Though he knew that Itachi felt the exact same way about Ryo. So this was what being a proud parent was like.

Sasuke just hoped that they never took it to the extremes that Ryo's and Kitasha's grandparents did though. There was a line and those four had certainly crossed it. It was a damn good thing that they all owned so much property really. Otherwise Sasuke wasn't sure where they would have fit all the birthday and Christmas presents!

"Yes." Gaara nods approvingly. "A very big splash!"

"You were right about something though Itachi." Sasuke smiles at his brother.

Itachi tilts his head. He probably didn't know what Sasuke was referencing, but the younger Uchiha certainly remembered. It was after all, what started all this in a strange way.

He smiles at the other Uchiha though. "Well I'm usually right." Itachi was so modest Sasuke thinks to himself rather sarcastically. "What was I right about in this context though?"

He'd just have to quote Itachi, it seemed. "Well who can resist a nice pair of blue jeans attached to an even nicer posterior?" Sasuke smirks at him. "Remember when you said that? It's true." And as if to prove his point, Sasuke gestures towards their husbands. "There really is something about country boys in their blue jeans."

Itachi chuckles and pokes Sasuke in the forehead. Damn it! Was Itachi ever going to stop doing that?! Apparently not!

"Foolish little brother, of course I was right about that." Itachi smiles at him slyly. "Naturally, you had to find that out the hard way though. Still, I suppose it doesn't matter that it took you longer to reach the same conclusion because it all worked out perfectly in the end."

Sasuke shakes his head and pokes Itachi's forehead in retaliation. "You're partially right." It would have been easier, if he had just given into his attraction to Naruto sooner because goodness knows he loved the man. "It would have been easier, but this isn't the end." Sasuke smirks at his brother. "This is only the beginning."

Itachi smiles at Sasuke and nods because he knew that the younger Uchiha was right. Well at least that's what the former lawyer liked to think anyway.

"You're right." Itachi nods again, confirming his suspicions. "We own a successful and rapidly growing business, have adoring parents and crazy in-laws, two gorgeous husbands, and are fathers now." That was right. "This really is just the beginning. Madara really knew what he was doing when he left us Mangekyo Wines. It's almost like he planned this."

Sasuke snorts at that. He doubted anyone could plan that far in advance. "I doubt it, but you're right. We do owe him a lot." Sasuke smiles and Itachi just nods in agreement.

* * *

"AHH-CHOO!" Madara sneezes in the afterlife.

Naturally, Izuna takes advantage of the moment and smacks him in the head with a giant cloud ball. "I win!" He snickers.

"That doesn't count!" Madara flails around comically. "You cheated! I was sneezing!"

Izuna shakes his head in amusement. "You know, they say when you sneeze it means someone is talking about you." To which Madara just rolls his eyes.

"That is the most ridiculous thing that I've ever heard." The elder Uchiha snorts.

It was not ridiculous! It was so true! Anyway, they had important matters to attend to.

"Come on, Tsunade is throwing her death day party!" He smirks at Madara. "It's at the beach."

Yes, there were all sorts of landscapes in the afterlife. A fact which wasn't widely known, but Izuna had been rather pleased to find this out because it could only mean one thing.

Madara's eyes light up at that. "Tsunade's beach party!" And Izuna knew why, the pervert would never pass up a chance to see scantily clad women. (Not that Izuna could blame him, he was the same way)!

"Yes, come on!" He smiles as he drags his brother off. "Let's go!"

Madara just smirks as he allows himself to be drug off. "This will be fun." Oh yes, it was going to be lots of fun! "There is just something about country girls in their bikinis that really gets me going!" Well that was true.

They were also rather fortunate, that they were young enough to enjoy such things. One of the nicest aspects in the afterlife in Izuna's mind was that you could choose what age you were on whatever whim you liked.

Naturally, most people were content to be young and healthy in the afterlife. He and Madara generally walked around in their twenty or thirty something year old bodies and had a grand ole time charming the female angels!

"Me too!" Izuna admits with a slight blush as they make their way towards the beach.

Izuna Uchiha was a happy man. His family was happy and he had his brother back. And it certainly didn't hurt that they were heading to a beach filled with beautiful women in bikinis! This truly was paradise!


End file.
